The Shadow of Grimm (Rewritten)
by TenshiWarrior
Summary: Several months have passed since the fall of Beacon. The now formed team RNJR, along with Roman, and Cristal and a familiar face set out to Mistral to find answers. (Sequel to Rewritten Version of The Child of Grimm)
1. Prologue: Red Like Roses

_**DISCLAIMER: **_

_The following is a fan-based story. RWBY, it's story and characters with the exceptions of OCs is all owned by Roosterteeth and Monty Oum. Please support the official release._

_**NOTE: **_

_The story will take place during RWBY V4, but will be or have some slight differences. If you are not a fan of this kind of thing, than I'd advise you not to read ahead. _

* * *

_Once upon a time… Before the time of Kingdoms, Huntsmen and Huntresses.._

_There had been two brothers; one older and one younger. Both of them had unique and incredible abilities, unlike many that came after, but both used their gifts for different means for the world. _

_The Eldest brother created life throughout the world; he created plants, water, and animals when the sun had been among the clouds and at the highest in the sky, _

_But when night came, the Youngest grew disgust when he saw the aftermath of what his eldest had made. And thus when darkness fell upon the world, he would destroy all that he created, bringing drought, fire, and famine to his Eldest creations, and bask at its destruction. _

_And yet… Even when there was destruction, life still furnished among its ashes. _

_One day… The Youngest had enough. _

_When night came again, he created something that had the same desire as he, to destroy all that stood in front of them. _

_Creatures, practically born from the depths of the Youngests heart. _

_The Creatures of Grimm._

_The Edlest grew tired of the feud between them and made a deal for his Youngest. _

"_All this anger and hate between us only brings us back to the beginning brother." The Eldest told him. _

"_...All the life you bring upon this world, only sickens me to my core." The Youngest said, "I cannot admire it as you do." _

"_Than perhaps you would consider a proposition?" _

_The Youngest merely laughed, "What would this be, pray tell?" _

"_You and I make a creature." The Eldest told him, "A creature that can choose whether they wish to create or destroy with all that they learn from this world. A creation that we can both be proud to call our own." _

_The Youngest had pondered on this as he couldn't help but feel interested in this sort of deal. "Very well than… Brother." The Youngest said, "Let us see what we can make." _

_And thus, the Eldest and Youngest formed a creature; the only creature that would be capable of choice, to either use what they have learned to create, or to use it all to destroy. _

_Their own and final masterpiece. _

* * *

_-__**Three Years Ago; Vale's Apartment 3G**__-_

_It was late at night in the city of Vale. _

_All through the streets had been quiet, and the sound of cars and constructions had been heard, just outside of a small apartment. There a man with orange hair with most of his hair covering his eye, sat just at the bedside of a young girl with magenta hair, as she looked to be ten. An IV stand stood just on the opposite as an IV tube went into her chest. Her left eye had been green while her right had been coated with black and had been in the color of orange and yellow as black branches had been seen around it; part of her skin where the black branches had been seen looked to be pale. _

_She was leaning against the man's arm as she listened to the story. _

"_Their masterpiece…" The girl named Destiny said, "... It was people… Right…?" _

_The man named Roman chuckled, "You really are smart as your mother, huh Princess?" _

"_That's good for them, right?" She said, "Now that they both made something together, they won't fight anymore, will they?" _

"_Well… Not exactly." The man replied, "I'm sure they'll have a few disagreements here and there even after they learned to agree or disagree on their creation." _

"_But… They won't keep hating each other anymore?" The child asked curiously. _

_Roman shrugged, "I suppose not." _

_Destiny soon started to let out a couple of coughs, causing Roman to put the book down, as he quickly started to give her a couple pats on the back to ease her._

_Soon enough he heard the door to the apartment open, followed by a voice. _

"_We're back!" _

"_Perfect timing." Roman said, "I'll be right back Princess." _

_Destiny gave a nod before he stepped out of the room and towards the living room. Just as he entered there had been a light shimmer of pink, around the bodies of two girls. One of them had black hair and two parts of her bangs in the color of gray, as her eye had been red who looked to be thirteen, while the other had pink and brown hair, as she looked to be catching her breath after the shimmer went away. _

"_Did everything go alright at the pharmacy?" He asked the two of them. _

"_Yeah, got the cough medicine." The girl with the red eye said, as she took out a bottle of cough syrup, "I could've gotten it myself, you know dad. Didn't really need the disguise from Big Sis." _

"_Cristal." Roman said sternly, "There are two reasons why you can't go out by yourself. First of all, you've just turned thirteen, second the disguise Neo provides is absolutely necessary. It'll hide you from-" _

"_-The Witch, yeah I know." The girl named Cristal said as she had been slightly annoyed, "You've said it only a dozen times." _

"_Don't give me that tone young lady. It's for your own good." He said to her, "Now go help your little sister with her cough." _

_Cristal let out a sigh before she went to get a spoon from the cupboard, and went to the room where her little sister had been. Roman pinched the bridge of his nose before he turned over to Neo. _

"_She didn't cause problems, did she?" Roman asked her, "No tricks?" _

_Neo shook her head as she gave her usual smile. "Good." He said, "Last thing we want is for her to be caught on the news. Who knows what that will do." _

_Roman was about to go to where his daughters had been when Neo had stopped him, by tugging on his shirt. "What is it now?" He asked as he turned to her. _

_Neo only hold her scroll and saw a text message; it had been from Junior. _

"_Really?" He said, "Another job, this late?" _

_Neo only nodded at this as her expression softened a little. "Alright, let me just put them to bed." He said. _

_With that being said, he made his way towards the girls room. _

_Cristal sat at Destiny's bedside as she gave her two spoonfuls of the cough syrup. The minute Destiny swallowed the syrup, she shuddered at the taste. _

"_Don't be like that." Her sister said amused, "It's not all that bad." _

"_It still tastes funny." Destiny said._

_Cristal gave another laugh before she noticed a book on the dresser. "The Tale of Two Brothers" is what the cover had read. "Was dad reading this to you?" Cristal asked her. _

_Destiny gave a nod, as Cristal picked the book up from the dresser. "Now that is a good bedtime story…" She said to her sister, "... Other than the Story of the Seasons of course." _

"_Dad said it was mom's favorite." Destiny said, "Grandpa got that book for her birthday, didn't he?" _

_Cristal nodded, "Yep. She said that Grandpa read this story to her over a thousand times, and never once got tired of it." _

"_Like me with the Seasons Story?" _

"_... Well, you're not wrong there Princess." _

_Cristal soon noticed the look on Destiny's face. She could tell from the look in her eyes, she had looked as though she had been about to cry. At this, Cristal acted as she put her hands on her shoulder to get her attention, "Hey, you wanna see a cool trick ma showed me?" _

_Destiny tilted her head a little as Cristal held out her palm. Half of a butterfly appeared on her forehead, as her eye turned to gold. A white sphere appeared out of thin air before it started to take shape. It took the form of a little bunny as it stood up on its hind legs in the palm of her hand. _

_Destiny's eyes practically sparkled at this as she watched the bunny move it's nose and ears. It soon ran off her sister's hand and into the air, leaving a trail of the very same light behind, in the form of dust. It ran around Destiny, rubbing its body against her cheek and neck causing her to giggle at the sensation, before it took a seat on top of her head. Cristal couldn't help but laugh along with her when she gave a smile. _

_Though the smiles soon faded as they heard someone familiar clear their throat. Roman stood at the doorway again, with his arms crossed. _

"_Cristal…" Roman said to her sternly, "... What was the rule?" _

_Cristal sighed as with but a simple wave the rabbit disappeared on top of Destiny's head; her eye changed back and the half of the butterfly disappeared, "... No tricks…" _

"_No tricks." He repeated. _

"_Don't be mad at her dad." Destiny told her father, "She was just showing me a what mom taught her."_

"_I know." Roman said to her gently as he put his hand on her head, "... But you know why you can't use it…" _

"_Dad come on, it was just one trick!" Cristal said, "Only one little trick!" _

_Roman only stayed silent at this before he told them, "It's getting late you two. It's time for you girls to hit the hay." _

_The girls didn't want to make an argument about it, and ended up complying. Cristal changed into her set of PJs, before she made herself comfortable in her bed that had been just next to Destiny. Roman soon tucked Destiny in bed. _

"_Hopefully your fever will be cleared up by the morning." Roman said. It hadn't been long before he noticed Destiny had been giving a sad look in her eyes. "Princess, what's the matter?" He asked. _

"_... Do I… Cause you trouble?" The child soon asked. _

_Roman, of course had been taken back by this, as her sister looked shocked too. _

"_Why do you say that sweetie?" Roman asked again. _

"_... Recently you've been away on several jobs…" Destiny started to say, "... You come home late and wake up in the middle of the day… Not to mention, you've been getting those envelopes with the red letters in the mail… Is it because of me?" _

_Roman gave a smile as he shook his head, "None of that is your fault. You've never caused me any kind of trouble." _

"_But I…" _

"_No buts. Don't ever blame yourself. The jobs that I take on, aren't just for you… They're for all of us. One day when we get enough money, we'll find a nice house outside of the city, just like before." _

"_... Really?" _

"_Really. I promise." _

_Cristal laid on her side as she said, "Better live up to it, old man." _

"_Hey now, isn't that a bit harsh?" Roman said with a smile. _

_Cristal couldn't help but laugh while Destiny giggled. Soon enough he gave Destiny a kiss on the forehead, "Get some sleep Princess." He said as he helped her to lay down. He soon went to Cristal's bedside giving her a kiss on the forehead, "I'll see you two in the morning." _

_Cristal yawned as she laid back, "See you when the sun rises." _

"_Good night daddy…" Destiny said as her eyes closed shut, "... I love you…" _

_Roman hesitated to leave the room for a moment, before he let out a sigh. _

"_Love you too…" He said before he flipped the light switch. _

_He shut the door just behind him as he walked out of the room, before he went down the hall where the living room was; Neo had been waiting for him, holding his weapon, white coat, gloves and bowler hat. He put them on, making sure they were set just right, before he took his weapon from her. _

"_You'll look after them while I'm away?" He asked her._

_All Neo did was give him a reassuring smile, before she gave him a pat on the shoulder. _

"_Thank you." He said, "It's good to know that I can count on you." _

_With that being said he went to head out the door, tipping his hat as he did. _

"_If there's any trouble… You know what to do." _

_Neo gave a nod, before he went out of the apartment, shutting the door. The minute the door shut, Neo went to lock the door._

* * *

-_**Present; Somewhere in Anima**_-

Months came and went since the fall of Beacon.

Really, for anyone, it felt more like years.

Much has changed since than, and the once known peace between the kingdoms was now broken. Many of its citizens had lost their trust in one another, and became scared. They had seen what had happened before the CCT fell, and all sorts of questions kept popping up here and there, though all had been left unanswered.

A few certain people on the other hand, remained undeterred.

Smoke arose from the buildings of a small village. Many of its citizens have fled their homes and tried to run from the oncoming creatures of Grimm, as they laid waste among the streets. Many of its citizens had been cornered as the Beowolves surrounded a group of people who had been completely and utterly terrified as they had been backed into a corner.

Just as the Beowolves went to attack, it had suddenly been sliced and diced.

The one responsible for this, looked to be that of a girl, who looked to be no more than eighteen. She had on a gray trench coat, with a white collar, and had on a pair of dark brown pants that looked to be ripped a little along with a dark red tank top underneath, that looked to have a design of a silhouette of a wolf, and around her neck she had a silver cross. Her skin had been pale as her eyes had been that of red, as she had black hair, tied into a short ponytail, thanks to that of a ribbon that had been in the color of white, and both of her arms had been wrapped around in bandages that reached up to her elbows.

A couple of the Beowolves, came charging at her, attempting to attack her on the side, though she had been quick to retaliate; she blocked the attack with the base of her scythe, before slicing their heads clean off with one swing.

"**GET GOING!**" She yelled to the group, "**WE GOT THIS!**"

The group had been quick to comply, as they quickly made a break for it, without looking back. Just before the Beowolves could go after them, the girl quickly got their attention, before leading them away. She attempted to lead them to the town square but had soon been cut off, by another pack.

"Ah, crap!" She exclaimed as she skidded to a halt.

One of the Beowolves went to jump at her, giving her no time to react; she would've been sliced to pieces herself, were it not for a set of teeth. Turns out the one responsible had been done by a large white fox with a set of blue eyes.

"Thanks for the save Frosty!" The girl said.

A Beowolf with to attack her from behind, though it hadn't been long before someone kicked it right in the face. A sound of a gunshot rang through her ears, as the Beowolf dropped dead.

Her savoir turned out to be a girl with metal leg appendages that replaced her real ones; both in a dark silver color as guns had been attached to it's heels.

The girl had looked to be around the same age as her, though her hair tied in pigtails was in the color gray with the ends of them dyed purple, and her eyes were of gray as well.

Her outfit consisted of a black turtleneck with a light gray buckled vest, along with dark gray pants; she had on a pair of gloves that only revealed her index finger and thumb on both of her hands that had also been padded.

"Seriously Melody!?" The girl said, "You're gonna let something like that stop ya!?"

"Oh, bite me Rosario!" Melody told her, "Where the hell were you the whole time!?"

"**WHERE DO YOU THINK!?**" The girl named Rosario shouted, "**I WAS TAKING CARE OF THESE ASSHOLES!**"

The two of them and the fox soon dodged an attack from behind them, as they both started to make their way to the town square. As they reached the square the two had been startled when they saw someone flying out of a building.

It had been a Fanus girl, who looked to be a bit younger than the other two; as she had a pair of fox ears on her head as well as a tail, both in the color of a light orange as well as her pixie cut hair as she looked to have a couple of freckles on both of her cheeks.

Her eyes were of blue and green as she had on a brown jacket with what looked to be a first aid elite bag on her bag. She also had on a dark blue shirt as well as a dark red skirt with a pair of dark green cropped leggings with a pair of brown shoes. She held a pair of small blades in her hands and looked to be as worn out as the others.

She let out a scream as she quickly moved from the Beowolf that charged at her. "Scout!" Melody and Rosario exclaimed.

The girl named Scout ran over to them, "They're too many of them! They're practically coming out of nowhere! I don't know how much longer we can hold out on our own!"

It hadn't been long before the three girls had found themselves surrounded; each of them stood back to back, each of them ready to fight, while Frosty growled at the beasts before them.

"Oh, no way!" Rosario said, "Out of all the jobs I've taken, there's no way in hell I'm gonna go down like this!"

"Ditto!" Melody said, before she turned to the Fanus, "How much longer before help arrives?!"

"I'm not sure!" Scout replied, before hitting a Beowolf away, shooting it dead, "I don't even know if the message got through!"

* * *

A young girl wearing a red cloak that had been partly torn at the bottom made her way towards the cliffside that laid, just on the outside of the forest. On her red cloak she had that of a silver rose which held the cloak in place; the hood she had over her head covered most of her face.

Beside her had been a girl with long black hair tied back, with part of her bangs in the colored in gray as most of it covered her left eye. She had on a short brown jacket with a black cropped top that had a torn design revealing her stomach; she had on a pair of red wine khakis with a set of combat style boots. She had on a set of gloves, one had been shorter than the other, both revealing her fingers.

She had a necklace with a silver ring as well as a black choker.

Her left fingers looked to be scarred up as well as half of her chest, stomach, and neck; the scar reached up underneath her chin that wrapped up to her cheek, though only partially. She had a pair of swords, wrapped around her back and waist, and had an ammo belt attached to the belt of her waist.

The two of them reached the cliffside as they saw the village had been engulfed in flames.

The girl with a red cloak, who had silver eyes looked to the Grimm that invaded its streets.

"_**Cristal…?**_" The girl with silver eyes said to the girl, "... Can you tell how many there are?"

The girl named Cristal replied as she shut her eyes for a few moments before she opened them again, "... Hard to say. We could be looking at a whole pack of them, judging from the negativity."

"Do you think you can calm them?"

"Only some, but it won't be enough draw them away… The only thing we can do is release them from their anguish."

The girl with silver eyes nodded, before they were drawn to the sounds of Nevermores flying overhead and heading towards the village.

"You ready?" She asked Cristal.

"Let's do it." Cristal replied with a smile.

The girl with silver eyes turned and drew her weapon; it unfolded to that of a scythe. Cristal took hold of her, before she leaped high in the air, leaving behind a trail of rose petals in her wake. She soon latched onto a Nevermore that came flying by, and they flew towards the village.

Just as they were above the vicinity, she pulled the trigger and sliced off the Nevermores wing, causing it to fall out of the sky. The two fell towards the Village, with Cristal landing on top of a Beowolf, killing it instantly, taking Melody, Rosario and Scout by surprise as the Beowolf happened to be in front of them; it's body disappeared in mere moments.

"Hi." Cristal said to them with a smile.

"Where did you-" Rosario started to say before they jumped at a crashing sound.

The girl with the red hood landed on top of one the statues breaking it under her feet. The girl stood as her hood fell from her face; her eyes had been closed shut. They took note of her appearance a white high neck decolletage blouse with a black overbust corset.

She had on a black and red skirt with a black belt boarded with a red magnetic clip to hold her weapon and ammunition. She had on a pair of leggings with a long steamed rose that had gone up to her thigh; she also had a pair of red-soled boots that had four straps and buckled making her a bit taller. On her left wrist she wore a bracelet that consisted of red and black beads that was all connected to an insignia of a rose.

For a moment, Melody, Rosario and Scout stayed silent at the appearance of the two newcomers, but as Melody took note of the girl in red's appearance her eyes widened slightly at the sight of her red hood and silver rose.

"No way…" Melody said softly, as she sounded shocked.

The Beowolf behind them leapt high into the air, taking them all by surprise. However the girl with the red hood had been quick to act.

Upon opening her eyes she moved with incredible speed, making it look like she teleported. In a blink of an eye, she had been in front of the group as she had attacked with her own scythe in hand; with one swing the Beowolf was dead, leaving everyone, except Cristal surprised.

The girl in red flipped back as the more Grimm came at her. Cristal went to the girl's aid as she drew her weapons, which had both been Zweihanders. The two of them sliced and diced the Grimm; with Cristal flipping over her back, while the girl in red came to her aid, when a Beowolf went to attack her from the side.

The three girls watched in awe at this, though the three of them along with the fox engaged the Grimm once more as they came at them once more, though this time, they were more prepared.

At one point in the fight, the girl in red flipped a Beowolf in the air to gain momentum before she knocked it and a couple into one of the burning buildings. Cristal sliced and diced the oncoming Beowolf, while occasionally hitting them away with either her foot or fist.

That was until-

"**INCOMING!**" Cristal soon shouted.

Though the girl in red had been slow to react as a rock went across her face, causing Cristal to flinch before dodging a rock herself. Just as the girl in red recovered she dodged a couple of more rocks coming towards her. The Beowolf got a boulder to throw at her; before it could the girl in red, acted.

She activated her semblance as she went so fast, she had made herself in a turbulence of roses. The turbulence split just as the rock had been thrown, before she appeared just behind the Grimm. She fired a single shot, causing her to fly back due to the force.

She used a Nevermore to push herself back into the village while at the same she knocked it out of the air.

Cristal gave a whistle, "Now that's what I call a combo breaker!"

The girl in red couldn't help but smile, before they and Melody, Rosario, Scout and Frosty felt the whole ground shake. All of them stood with their weapons armed and ready.

Neither Cristal nor her friend could react as a fist came towards them. Cristal's eye changed to gold and the left side of a butterflies wing appeared on her forehead as she quickly formed a barrier around the two. Though it protected them from the hit, it sent them both flying towards the building just behind them, taking the three girls back.

The barrier shattered and vanished, just as the two of them recovered from the hit, before they turned to see what had hit them.

The girls saw that before them had been a Grimm in the form of that of a gorilla, as it hit it's chest and let out a roar.

"No!" Rosario exclaimed, "Not a Beringel!"

"I got it!" Cristal said, before she went to charge it, with her weapons in hand, just as her eye returned to red. She went towards the Beringel as she readied her weapons. With a press of a button, the weapons seemed to extend as they shined a blue and white color. As soon as she had gotten on it's side her swords seemingly turned into whips as she attacked. The Beringel's feet soon had ice over it, to prevent from moving as it let out another roar.

The girl in red, soon made her move as she ran towards it. As the Beringel went to attack, she jumped over it with the help of her scythe, before she hit its leg with a cry. Though it didn't give a cry, not even so much as a flinch, taking the girl in red back.

It soon broke the ice, and grabbed a hold of her by the head, before hitting her across the way. The girl in red had been able to recover from this as she managed to land safely on one of the buildings, despite it being nearly engulfed in flames.

Cristal and the girl in red, soon ran in opposite in directions; with Cristal running along the ground, while she ran along the rooftops of the buildings. With the flip of her swords, it switched to a pair of dual shotguns, and she began to fire onto the Beringel and the Beowolves that began to follow behind it; eventually the two of them stopped running.

The Beringel soon grabbed a hold of Beowolf that Cristal didn't manage to kill before it tossed it over to the girl in red. The girl in red, switched from a gun to a scythe as she sliced the Beowolf in two. The Beringel soon jumped into the air, and landed on the roof; The girl in red and the Beringel started to circle one another.

Though they soon engaged with the girls watching below. The girl in red quickly dodged an attack from the Beringel, as it had tried to crush her underneath it's fists. She flew to the air darting like a pinball before she charged at the beast head on from above, though it had been quick to block it.

Leaving behind of rose petals in her wake, she had gotten behind the Beringel though it moved to the side. It slammed it's fists into the ground, causing her to flip back, and fall into an opening it made on the roof. The girl in red fell into the building with a scream.

"**RUBY!**" Cristal exclaimed.

Melody had been taken back by this as her eyes had widened, "...Ruby!?"

The Beringel soon jumped from the rooftop as it had landed in front of Cristal; it let out a roar nearly causing her to stumble, though other than that she hadn't been phased. She wiped the saliva that had gotten on her cheek, "... Okay than… Let's dance…"

The three girls had been taken back when Cristal dropped both of her swords to the ground; the butterfly's wing appeared again as her eye turned to gold once more. They could've sworn they saw her fists glow a purple color.

As the Beringel went to attack, Cristal flipped into the air; with a war cry she went charging at the beast from above, in attempt to crush it's skull. Though as the Beringel moved, the three girls had been taken back when she broke the ground with only one punch.

She soon turned to the Beringel, firing beams of light at the beast. As the Beringel dodged her attacks, the beams of light forming from the palms of her hands, it soon charged at her giving her little time to react. After only one hit, Cristal fell to the ground hard as she cried out in agony causing the three girls to jump.

Cristal let out a groan as she managed to recover, "Damn it… That hurts…"

She let out a scream as she saw another fist coming towards her. Though Melody had been quick to act as she moved quick on her feet as she grabbed Cristal before they both fell on their sides.

"Whew, thanks!" Cristal said, "I was nearly a go-!"

Cristal soon took notice of the girl's appearance, after taking one look at the girl's eyes. "Wait… I know you…" She said.

"Huh?" Melody said confused.

The Beringel soon let out a roar, causing the two of them to become alert, as they drew their weapons. The Beringel hit his chest and prepared to charge but the three of them froze, when they noticed a rose petal fly by their face.

They noticed the petals were coming from inside the building, as they had soon surrounded the Beringel, and one or two occasionally flew past them.

"What the hell?" Rosario said.

"What's going on?" Scout wondered as the two bared witness to the scene before them. Melody and Cristal saw from within the building a spiral of rose petals took form till it reached the top.

The girl in red… Ruby Rose came leaping out with her Crescent Rose in hand, shattering the stained glass window in the process. She landed on the ground with the help of her scythe and pulled the trigger to allow herself to jump over the Beringel with ease. She soon used her semblance to create a tornado of rose petals causing the Beringel to fly. She soon flew above the Beringel and armed her blade; she charged at it, stabbing it in the chest and the Beringel soon landed on the ground with a thud.

_**BANG!**_

In one shot the Beringel was dead and it's body soon disappeared. Melody's eyes widened in awe as she couldn't believe her very eyes, as Ruby set her scythe standing.

"No way..." She said as she smiled softly.

Ruby soon took notice of her as the teen approached her. Her silver eyes brightened at the sight of the girl. "... Melody…?" Ruby said with a smile.

She laughed a little, "I don't believe it… It really is you…"

The two girls couldn't help but hug each other as they dropped their weapons, not minding the chaos just behind them.

"Melody!" Ruby exclaimed happily, "I haven't seen you for so long!" She pushed herself out of the hug, "You changed your look."

"I could say the same thing." Melody said, before she checked her height, "And you've gotten a bit taller in the last two years haven't you? Drinking that milk really did pay off."

"Says the girl that took after Uncle Qrow!" Ruby said amused, "Your still taller than me!"

Rosario, Scout, Frosty and Cristal soon approached the two of them. "Melody, you actually know this girl?" Rosario asked.

"Who is she?" Scout asked.

"This is my cousin, Ruby Rose!" Melody replied with a smile, "She's the one I told you guys about!"

"Really?!" Rosario and Scout exclaimed.

"But Beacon, I thought that-!" Scout started to say.

"Hang on! Hang on! Wait a minute!" Rosario said, "If she's your cousin, than who's the girl with the freaky light show!?"

"Hey!" Cristal said, "First of all, the name's Cristal and secondly, I take offense to light show!"

"Yeah, Ruby who is this girl? What was that light coming from her?" Melody asked, "Are you out here alone? Are you here with Yang?"

Ruby stood awkwardly as she replied, "Well-"

Just than they were taken back by a Beowulf's howl as they looked in the direction and saw their had been a whole army of them. Immediately they drew their weapons.

"Let's worry about questions later!" Ruby said, "We still got some cleaning up to do!"

"A Huntresses work is never done huh!?" Melody said, before saying to her two friends and fox, "Let's go!"

"Right!" They both said before they charged at the Grimm. Ruby and Cristal had been about to follow when they heard Ruby's scroll let out a ring. She removed it from her skirt pocket before picking the call; four familiar voices came over the line.

"_Red! Are you and my daughter alright?!" _

"_We saw the smoke from where we are!" _

"_We're heading your way!" _

"_Don't start without us!" _

Ruby and Cristal smiled to one another.

"You'd better hurry…" They both said, before they ran towards the Grimm, armed to the teeth. The two had been left unaware that a certain Griffon with glowing white eyes, had been watching them from afar.

(_**Opening Theme-RWBY V4 Opening-Let's Just Live Performed By Casey Lee Williams**_)


	2. Chapter 1: RNJR and CRMS

(_**Opening Theme: RWBY V4 Opening Theme-Let's Just Live Performed By Casey Lee Williams**_)

-_**Somewhere in Anima**_-

In a forest outside a village nearby, three people walked beside one another, as they chatted.

One possed long black hair and was wearing a sleeveless tailcoat with a black turtleneck and a pair of white pants with pink and black detached sleeves; around his wrist he had on a green beaded bracelet with a certain logo.

Beside him was a girl possessing shoulder length orange hair, with the ends curled. She had on a pair of pink fingerless gloves and a white top with the heart cut diagonally; over it shehad on a blue and black bomber jacket with pink stripes. She also had on a a pink skirt with white boots and pink laces.

On her wrist she had on a beaded bracelet like the boy, but hers had been in pink and white.

Their names had been Lie Ren and Nora Valkyrie.

Two more had been walking with them, one possessed gray pigtails and prothstetic legs, and the other had orange hair like Nora though it had been in a lighter shade, and she had a pair of fox ears and a tail.

Their names had been Rosario Black, and Scout Lapis.

And it looked as though they were having a debate.

"For the last time, that team name you've thought of just sounds dumb!" Rosario told her.

"Look, I'm just saying, there's more members of JNPR than there is RWBY!" Nora told her, "It just makes sense to go with that one!"

"But JNRR (Junior) isn't a color." Ren pointed out.

"See!?" Rosario practically yelled, "He gets it!"

"Nora, we're not trying to say it's a bad name." Scout said, "But all we're saying is the other one would make more sense."

Nora couldn't help but let out a groan, "How can I be more clear!?"

She held out her hand and the name JNRR suddenly appeared seemingly out of thin air, taking Rosario and Scout back; though, Ren remained unphased.

"One-Two-Three!" She counted while pointing to the letters, "That's _**MORE**_-Than one!"

"But we're helping Ruby with her objective." Ren said holding out his hand having the letters RNJR (Ranger) appear, making the two girls jump again, "Shouldn't that make her our leader?"

"Okay, how are you doing that?" Rosario asked.

"Doing what?" Ren and Nora said in unison.

"Guys… We need to stay focused."

Their attention was drawn over to their team leader Jaune who was crouching in front of a large log, alongside the second scythe user, Melody Wren Branwen along with a white fox with blue eyes by the name of Frosty; Melody looked to be playing on a guitar as she was making whatever tune came to mind.

Though a man stood beside the two of them, as he looked to be holding a cane. He had on a dark black buckled trench coat as his shirt looked to be in a pale white color revealing some faded scars along his chest, and he had on a set of dark brown gloves as well as a set of lightish brown hiking boots.

Upon his head he looked to have a dark gray fedora with a black strap and his hair looked to be in a darker shade of orange that looked to be a little long and disheveled. He also appeared to have signs of a beard growing in as he smoked from a cigar as he had been sitting on the ground with his head back.

"Also, JNRR sounds way cooler." Jaune soon added.

"**EXACTLY!**" Nora exclaimed, causing Ren to shrug.

"Seriously?" Rosario and Scout said.

"Really?" The man with the fedora said, "You guys could be talking about anything in the world, and you choose team names of all things?"

"Don't look at us, Nora's the one that brought it up!" Rosario said.

"It was a very serious topic Mr. Torchwick!" Scout soon added.

The man groaned as he rolled his emerald green eyes. "How many times do I gotta say it foxy? Enough with the Mister crap-" He said, "-_**Roman**_, is just fine."

"What's wrong with being polite?" Melody soon asked, "It worked for you as a thief didn't it?"

"Don't bring that up." The man named Roman said.

The group soon felt the whole ground shake; it felt as though it had been an earthquake, though they knew otherwise as they each armed themselves.

All except Jaune, who appeared to be missing a weapon.

"It's here." He said softly.

From nearby, Ruby Rose flew out of a field of cheers just over a cliff with the help of her semblance all while firing from her Crescent Rose. Out came a creature was a creature with a Grimm mask that was entirely made from rocks came rushing towards her. They both fell into the trees below them while Ruby let out a scream. She hit every tree branch as she tried to grab onto at least one of them.

"**BAD-!**"

_**SMACK!**_

"-**-LANDING-!**"

_**BAM!**_

"**-STRATEGY!**"

_**WHAM!**_

Finally she had been able to regain herself as she caught her breath, having landed on one of the branches safely. The Giant Rock Grimm swung it's arm at her though she had been quick to move with the help of her semblance again.

Just when it was about to attack her again, shots were fired from above.

From the skies came Cristal, on the back of what looked to be a Griffon that was of a Grimm like the Rock Beast; though it's eyes had been in the color of white. She had her shotguns armed instead of her blades as she had fired what looked to Dust bullets.

It tried to hit them both out of the air, though the Griffon named Senka proved to be too quick.

"Let's get that thing off of them!" Jaune said to the group.

Everyone nodded and started to move.

After getting rid of his cigar, he flipped his cane and fired a grappling hook into a tree nearby before using it to ascend. Rosario with the help of her gun heels ran along the side of the tree onto one of its many branches. Ren jumped from one tree to the next to obtain high ground, while Melody leaped in the air and changed into that of a crow following close behind Ren, before changing back landing just beside him.

"Don't forget me!" Nora said.

With her Magnid, she rocketed up and over the trees before she landed in the branches with the others, while Scout, Frosty and Jaune stayed on the ground.

"We need to draw its attention away from them!" Ren said.

"That's easier said than done!" Roman yelled over the noise.

"What are you guys waiting for!? An invitation!?" Cristal shouted as she flew by them, while still firing onto the Grimm creature.

"We could use some help!" Ruby added as she flew past them.

"Rosario!" Melody said, "Let's do it!"

"Copy that!" Rosario said.

With a push of a button on Melody's guitar, the neck attached itself on her arm before it formed an armblade with the turn of the gears. Rosario got ready as the arm came around; she used her gun heels to rocket herself onto it's arm, while Melody leaped into the air again, this time taking the form of a hawk.

For a moment, Melody changed back again, and the two of them simultaneously fired, in an attempt to hit it's mask. The beast however had been quick to block the bullets before it went to hit them both with it's other arm.

Melody switched back into a hawk, while Rosario jumped off, landing on the back of Senka when they flew under her; Immediately she hooked her arm around Cristal's waist while Melody had been back on the ground with Jaune Scout, and Frosty.

Ren soon made his move.

He jumped from tree after tree as he fired onto the Grimm with the help of his Storm Flowers. Nora kept the best busy as she fired her grenades towards it. He soon ran along its arm like Rosario did before but instead he jumped into the air and armed his blades; he came falling towards it and attacked it head on, but it didn't even phase it as it managed to shake him off.

"We gotta get in closer!" Jaune exclaimed.

"My blades don't hurt him!" Ren said landing beside, him, Frosty, Scout and Melody.

"Bullets don't even hurt this guy!" Melody shouted.

"Let's see if it can handle this firepower than!" Roman said as he flipped his cane again. He armed his Melodic Cudgel, and aimed for its mask. He pulled the trigger firing of a flare shot as it gave a whistle.

Despite its size however it had been quick on its feet as it put both of its arms in front of its mask.

"Even that didn't work!?" Scout exclaimed out of shock.

"How about this!?" Ruby soon yelled.

She reached into her ammo belt and armed her Crescent Rose with Dust bullets that had a lighting bolt labeled on it. With a leap in the air, she fired the weapon that had been laced with electricity. The arm of the beast soon glowed red as it blocked the attack again, surprising the group.

Cristal saw it lift it's arm in the air.

"**OH CRAP!**" She yelled in realization.

Her eye soon changed to gold as the butterfly wing appeared; just as it hit it's arm in the ground, creating a powerful guys of wind, Cristal barely managed to form a barrier around herself, and the others, but they were sent flying anyway. Even Senka had been knocked out of the air.

Each of them managed to steady themselves, with Cristal catching Roman, and Senka using his body to keep them from falling backwards. Jaune on the other hand went toppling on the ground, eventually hitting a rock where his "boy's" were making most of the group flinch.

"You'll be fine without a weapon…" Jaune groaned, "... _**YOU'RE **_the strategist…"

"That's it!" Nora shouted before she started to run at the beast.

She spun her weapon, letting it switch to her hammer before leaping high into the air. With a single swing she was able to break its arm, making most of the group cheer at this. Though the cheers died down when the black mist took hold of a large boulder and threw it towards her.

At this Cristal acted as her eye changed to gold and the butterfly wing appeared. "**RUBY! THROW ME!**" She shouted.

Ruby gave a nod before used her scythe and activated her semblance so that she could throw her. Cristal flew at full speed before her fist glowed a purple glow as she threw it towards the rock, shattering it into a thousand pieces and dust with but a single hit, though it opened wounds on her knuckles

The Grimm soon picked up more rocks before tossing it at the group; most of them, even Jaune had been quick to dodge the oncoming projectiles.

"Hey! Be careful!" Jaune said before getting hit in the face with one of the rocks; immediately Scout ran to his side as to check him with Frosty beside her.

"**GUYS! LOOK!**" They heard Melody shout.

Jaune and Scout looked and they saw the Grimm suddenly grow a black claw hand, seemingly in a blink of an eye.

"Uh-oh…" Jaune said.

"That can't be good…" Scout added as her ears went down a little.

The Grimm soon shoved it's hand into a tree, and it had been its new arm. "**THAT'S DEFINITELY NOT GOOD!**" The fox exclaimed before she, Frosty and Jaune started to run.

"**HIS ARM IS A TREE!**" Jaune shouted, "**HIS ARM IS A TREE!**"

"Red!" Roman shouted.

Ruby only gave a nod before saying, "Big mistake!"

She soon armed her Crescent Rose with fire Dust; her and Roman took the shot, combining their flare and fire. Scout and Jaune smiled at this, but lost it now that they saw it's arm had been lit a flame.

"**BIG MISTAKE!**" Jaune and Scout shouted as they picked up the pace.

Jaune ended up tripping as he ran leaving him wide open for the oncoming creature; At this Scout acted as she quickly got in front of and pressed a button on the hilt of her blade. The blade extended and had been made of ice; with one slash she managed to slice the tree in half, allowing them to sigh with relief. Though they had been caught off guard when its other arm came towards them, making them scream a little.

Ren quickly used his Storm Flowers as boomerangs to slice the mask, making it fall over on its back. The group soon joined up them, as they started to formulate a plan.

"We're not getting anywhere with this!" Roman said, "We need a different strategy!"

"Right, okay!" Jaune said, "How do we do this!?"

"It's body is too thick to break through!" Ren said.

"It doesn't care about its body!" He said.

"Plus it keeps creating new limbs!" Nora added.

"But it keeps protecting its face!" Cristal pointed out.

"We can't break it!" Ruby exclaimed.

"Guys, it's starting to get back up!" Rosario said, "Now would be a good time to form a plan!"

"Does anyone have any ideas!?" Scout said.

"... If we cut off all of its limbs all at once and went for the-" Jaune started to say before his eyes widened with realization; he turned to the group.

"You guys, I got it!" He said to them, "We hit it-Harder!"

Everyone gave a look in Jaune's direction, as they couldn't help look at him awkwardly. "... Is that it?" Ren asked giving a quizzical look.

"Yeah, I was under the impression we were already doing that." Melody added.

"No, seriously! Like Cristal said, it keeps trying to protect its face!" Jaune soon explained, "So if we cut off all the limbs, we have a shot to kill the whole thing!"

"... That sounds so stupid-" Roman finally said, before he gave a smile, "-It might just work."

"Alright!" Ruby said, "Come on team, let's do this!"

"Yeah!" Nora said with enthusiasm.

"Right!" Ren said.

Melody soon turned to Cristal, Rosario and Scout, "Well, CRMS (Crimson)! You heard em! Let's do it, to it!"

"Right!" Cristal, Rosario and Scout said.

They all saw the Grimm get back on its feet, and they quickly put their plan into action. Jaune have them the directions they needed, "Ruby, Cristal, left! Ren, Melody, right! Roman, Rosario, Scout, focus on the legs! Nora! You ready to try the new upgrade?"

Nora nodded and went off in a certain direction.

"Okay, than I'll-**EEP!**"

Jaune started to run when the Grimm came at him and Frosty again.

Ruby and Cristal attacked from the left; with Senka's help they were able to take to the skies and fly towards it. Ruby jumped off of Senka and used her Crescent Rose to slice its arm though soon found herself flying back. Cristal equipped her swords and activated the whip mod, and turned on its dust enhancement.

She swung her sword and attacked around its arm; though she was able to it there was suddenly ice.

Despite this it had been able to break free, and knocked them out of the sky once again.

Ren along with Melody attacked on the right, with Melody equipping her scythe mode. They both charged at it head on, as they sliced and diced before getting pushed back by it.

As Jaune along with Frosty made themselves a target, both being extremely careful, Roman, Scout and Rosario attacked the beasts legs as they ran along the ground attacking it from behind. It didn't really have an affect, though they kept at it anyway as it had been the only thing that could be done.

All the while this was happening Nora had activated her semblance and was sending electricity straight to her hammer.

"Ready!" She yelled to the group.

Ruby and her cousin Melody flew high into the year and dove towards the beast, using their scythes to attack; neither of them had been surprised when they saw they didn't make a scratch on it. Ruby landed next to Jaune while Melody landed on the other side.

"**USE EVERYTHING YOU GOT!**" Jaune shouted.

Ruby gave a nod and activated her semblance; she flew straight towards the Grimm taking Nora with her. As they flew towards the Grimm, red and pink petals swirled like a drill before Ruby sliced up its arm and Nora took out its entire body with only but a swing.

A phantom like creature soon flew out of the pile rocks, and went to fly in the forest; though Cristal had been quick to the punch as she trapped it with her weapon.

The creature, known as the Geist struggled and growled. She started to shush it gently as she placed her hand on its mask.

"You've been hurting for so long..." She said softly, as she caressed the Geist's mask, "Don't worry… I'll help you..."

Shutting her eyes, the butterflies wing appeared again and a light appeared between them. For a moment the Geists eye changed to gold and looked to be more calm than before. At this Cristal released the creature.

"Go on now." She said to the Grimm, "Go back home."

The Geist complied as it disappeared into the trees in front of them. Cristal fell to her knees as she felt exhausted; Ruby and Roman immediately went to her side as they helped her to stand up. "You okay?" Ruby asked.

"Yeah…" Cristal replied tiredly, "... Guess I'm a bit more out of practice than I thought…"

"You'll get the hang of it little Gem." Roman said.

"Phew!" Jaune said, "Another victory for team CRMS and JNRR!"

The whole group looked at Jaune awkwardly at this as they all stayed silent. "Okay you know what, Ren?" Jaune said, "You might be onto something after all. It's just not sounding great anymore."

"**THANK YOU!**" Rosario shouted.

"**YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND MY VISION!**" Nora yelled at her.

Roman couldn't help but roll his eyes as he facepalmed himself, "... Teenagers…"

* * *

-_**A Few Moments Later**_-

Both teams RNJR and CRMS had been headed back into town while Roman and Senka stayed outside since they couldn't exactly come strolling through the village. One, until Roman obtained a disguise he's still known by reputation, and Senka, well… He was a Grimm. Everyone would run with their tails between their legs at the mere sight and it would definitely not end well.

Ruby was currently shaking the town's officials hand in gratitude.

"We truly can't thank you all enough." The Official said.

"We're just doing our job sir!" Ruby said with a smile.

"That Geist had been plaguing us for weeks." The Official said to them, "We were beginning to wonder if we'd have to relocate."

"Well, we're on our way to Mistral." Cristal said, "If you want, you and your people can come with us."

The Official only chuckled, "I take it your not from these parts. Anima is a large continent. I'm afraid our people would never survive the long trek to Mistral. It may be safer the Kingdoms, but we prefer our way to of life. I just wish we could pay you more."

"Oh, that's not necessary sir." Scout reassured the Official.

"Yeah, don't worry about it." Rosario said.

"Our previous arrangement is more than sufficient." Ren added.

Both teams both bowed their heads in respect before they headed off to their next location in the town. They arrived at the Blacksmith shop just in time as the store owner finished designing Jaunes new upgrade.

"There you go son!" The Owner said to Jaune with a smile, "It's going to be heavier than what you're used to, but you'll thank me the next time you go up against a set of claws."

"Wow…" Jaune said, "I don't know what to say…"

"Don't gotta say anything!" The Owner said, "Just put it on! I'll go get the rest."

With that the Owner went into the back room to get the rest of his armor. Frosty jumped on his hind legs and started to sniff the new armor. "Seems like Frosty likes his work." Melody said with a smile as she looked to Jaune.

"So…" Nora said, "... What are you waiting for? Try it on!"

"Oh! Right!" Jaune said as he removed his armor; he placed it just on the counter as he gave a look of solemn, "Guess I was gonna grow out of it eventually."

"A sign of progress." Ren said with a smile.

"Right… Progress." Jaune said as he turned to them.

Though it hadn't been long before Melody and Ruby started to stifle a laugh, which left Jaune perplexed.

"What?" Jaune asked the two, "What is it?"

"What is that!?" Ruby exclaimed pointing to his hoodie.

The hoodie he had on, apparently had a logo of a cute little bunny rabbit, which needless to say, it had taken everyone back. "What?" He said, "I've always had this!"

Melody finally lost it as she bursted out laughing, "Oh my God!" She exclaimed, "Are you kidding me with this Jaune!?"

"**IT'S GOT A CUTE LITTLE BUNNY RABBIT!**" Ruby exclaimed.

Both of the girls gripped onto to each other as they couldn't contain their laughter, making Jaune blush with embarrassment.

"It's Pumpkin Pete!" He said, "You know!? From the cereal!"

The girls laughed even harder from this.

"Are you serious right now!?" Melody exclaimed, "You're still into that kind of a cereal!?"

"What did you do!?" Ruby asked him, "Send in a boxtop for a prize!?"

"Yeah! Fifty!" Jaune replied, still sounding embarrassed.

Ruby and Melody seemed to laugh even harder as they placed their hands on their stomach. The two of them fell onto their backs while kicking their legs up in the air. "Oh God, I'm crying…" Melody said as she giggled, "I can't stop em…"

"Hey now, I don't think it's funny." Scout said, "I think it's kind of cool."

"Of course you would think that kid." Rosario said, giving her a pat on the head.

"But I'm nearly as old as you…" Scout said as she gave a pout.

"Nah, you're still technically a kid." Cristal added.

"Well…" Ren said as he shrugged, "... I suppose we can't grow out of everything."

The Owner of the shop, soon returned with Jaune's weapon and shield.

"Can't have a Huntsmen without his weapon." He said, placing it on the counter, "Made all the modifications you asked for." The group had been left impressed as the shield and even sword had a golden outline and on the bottom of the shield it had possessed a familiar crown shape.

"That was some fine metal you bought me." The Owner said, "Accents the white nicely. Where did you get it from anyway?"

Jaune's eyes soon looked to the crown insignia, as he couldn't help but think back to the one person who once had golden armor. Cristal had the same look as well, as she placed a hand on Jaune's shoulder.

"_**From a friend…**_" Jaune had eventually replied.

The group soon awaited for Jaune outside, wanting to give him some privacy to put on his armor. After a few moments, he stepped outside, revealing his new upgrade. His white armor had been outlined with gold and he now wore golden gauntlets; he also had a red scarf around his waist. He drew his sword and shield as the group had been left in awe as was the Owner.

"He cleans up alright, don't you think?" The Owner said.

"He most certainly does." Ren said.

"I still think a grenade launcher would've _**REALLY**_ brought the look together!" Nora said.

"Nora, we've been over this, it's just not his style." Scout said.

"Nothing's gonna stop team RNJR and CRMS now!" Ruby said with a smile.

"Team JNRR!" Nora stated.

"Still not a color." Ren told her.

"Seriously? We're still on about this?" Rosario asked as she looked unamused.

"Well, it is Nora." Cristal said with a shrug.

Jaune soon told the group as he put his sword and shield away, "Guys, it doesn't matter what we're called… _**As long as we're together.**_"

"You sure you kids won't stick around?" The Owner asked, "You've done a great deal for this town."

"It's tempting, though we're gonna have to decline." Cristal said.

"We've got another mission we have to take care of." Ruby said placing her hand over her bracelet.

"Make it to Haven Academy! No matter what!" Nora stated.

"We heard the next village over has a working airship." Ren said.

The Owner gave a thought, "There's no way to know for sure. Scroll signals have been weak enough even when Beacon Tower was still up. Haven't heard from Shion Village in awhile."

"There's only one way to find out." Scout said.

Both teams bid their farewells and went outside of town to meet up with Roman and Senka. They had gotten out from their hiding spots and Senka approached Cristal nuzzling her face face with his beak.

"Hey there boy, did you miss me that much?" Cristal said with a giggle.

Roman soon noticed Jaune's new armor, "Nice touch Arky. The look suits you."

"Oh, tha-thanks." Jaune said as he blushed with embarrassment.

"Alright team!" Ruby said, "Let's move forward to Mistral!"

"**YEAH!**" Everyone except for Roman cheered. With that said the teams started to move along the path ahead, all the while Jaune checked over the list with Nora.

"Food?"

"Check!"

"Water?"

"Check!"

"How about ammo?"

"Locked and loaded! Thank you Schnee Dust company!"

Ruby's expression softened at the mentioning of the Schnee name. She couldn't help but think to her partner. She remembered the days during school, the good and the bad days and back at the Vytal Festival. She thought about the worst case scenario, that she may never see her again… It pained the thought as she thought about it.

Cristal and Melody soon noticed this as they approached her. "Hey Ruby…" Cristal said, "... Is everything okay?"

Ruby jumped before she said, "Oh, yeah! Don't worry, everything's just fine!"

Melody only gave her a look, "Ruby… Maize and I lived in the same house as you and Yang whenever dad was away on missions, and I know a droopy face when I see one. What's wrong? I'm family."

"And I'm your friend, you can tell us anything." Cristal said with a smile.

Ruby soon gave a sigh, "I was just… Thinking about Weiss again…"

Soon enough, Cristal's face softened as did Melody. "Oh yeah, the Heiress, you and Yang told me about when I called up."

"You miss her, huh?" Cristal asked.

"Yeah…" Ruby replied, "... I'm just wondering what she's doing right now in Atlas… And if, she's thinking about you, Blake, Yang and I… And… I don't know… Maybe…?"

"Destiny?" Melody soon finished for her.

At this Cristal looked to the floor while Ruby nodded her head in reply, "I don't know if Weiss is wondering where she is, like we are after she went missing. I don't know I guess I'm worried. Not just about her, but about Weiss too… What if she's forgotten about me?"

Cristal soon gasped, "Ruby Rose, don't you say such a thing!" She told her, "I may have only known her for a brief time, but I know she's not the kind of person to forget even if someone told her too! Even for an Ice Queen like her she's never one to forget!"

"She's right you know." Melody said, "I know Destiny means a lot to you all, and Weiss means a lot too. But she's your partner, and she'll never regret having a girl like you on her team."

"How do you know that?" Ruby asked her cousin curiously.

"I learned it from dad." Melody replied, "When he was on STRQ, he was partnered with Auntie Summer-Rest her soul. From what he's told Maize and I, he knows her better than she knew herself. He said to us that Summer was one of the best of the best and he could never forget someone like her. Hell, he talked more about her than he did our Celi-" Melody stopped herself for a moment before she picked it back up, "-Our mom, I mean."

Ruby's eyes softened at this, while Cristal couldn't help but give a quizzical look as to why Melody's tone of voice changed.

She soon gave a smile, "Thanks you guys… I feel a little bit better."

"It's what family and friends are for!" Cristal said giving a smile of her own.

Melody gave a nod, "And for what it's worth, when we find Destiny, I for one can't wait to meet her. She sounds like the best kid in the world."

Ruby and Cristal gave a laugh at this. "Yeah…" Cristal said, "That she is."

"Don't worry Cristal!" Ruby said to her reassuringly, "We'll find your sister, I promise."

Soon enough their attention had been drawn to Scout. "Uh, hey Melody!" She said calling out to her partner, "Quick question, you, Ruby or Cristal don't have the map by any chance right?"

The three of them looked to each other as they exchanged a look of confusion.

"No, we thought Nora had it." Ruby replied, "Why?"

The group started to hiss through their breathing. "This is a _**REAL**_ problem." Rosario said running her hand through her hair.

"Tell me about it…" Jaune said as he slumped over.

Nora gave a nervous laugh as Roman couldn't help but facepalm himself again, "This is exactly why we can't have nice things…"

* * *

-_**Sometime Ago**_-

_The rest of Ruby's team and Cristal's father met up with her and her cousin's group soon after they drove out the rest of the Grimm from the village. At first, Melody thought Ruby had lost her marbles when she saw Roman Torchwick a criminal had been with them. Though she was quick to calm them down, when she promised she and her friends would explain everything. _

_They decided to camp out nearby where the people of the town had been, in case the creatures of Grimm decided to come back. As they sat around the camofire, they had explained everything to Melody and her group. _

_What had happened in Beacon, why they were with a criminal like Roman, what Cristal did, and what they were doing out here in the first place. _

_Needless to say… They were surprised about it. _

"_Okay… So let me see if I got this right…" Melody said, "... You guys are tracking down the people responsible for the attack on Beacon… That girl with the scars can actually use magic, and is Roman's kid… Not only that, but you're trying to find her little sister-__**HIS**_ _second daughter that went missing… That sound about right?" _

"_That's pretty much the gist of it." Ruby said awkwardly. _

_Melody, Rosario and Scout looked to one another. _

"_Wow…" Rosario said, "... Normally this would be the part where I would call someone crazy, but given the fact that girl… Uh Cristal was her name right-Did some sort of light show, I gotta say… It's believable." _

"_Wait…" Nora said surprised, "... You actually believe us?" _

"_Well as they say seeing is believing." Scout said, "We would be crazy ourselves if we didn't believe you after what we witnessed tonight." _

"_Still can't believe the White Fang would stoop down low to kidnapping people." Rosario said, "And I thought Bandits would stoop to something like that." _

"_I'm sorry something like that happened to you and your sister." Scout said to Cristal before turning over to Roman, "And… I'm sorry that something terrible like that, happened to your daughters."_

"_...Thanks for the courtesy." Roman said as he took a puff from his cigar. _

"_What about all of you?" Ren asked, "What are you doing all the way out here?" _

"_Well…" Melody said as she shrugged, "... Call it coincidence, but we're looking into the attack on Beacon too." _

_Ruby's group looked shocked at this, as they were literally dumbfounded. "Really?" Jaune asked, "You guys too?" _

"_Yeah." Rosario answered, "I have an idea on who could've attacked Beacon, and… Melody here says her father's friend resides in Haven and might have an idea on what's going on." _

"_Is that true?" Ruby said surprised, "Uncle Qrow knows someone like that?" _

_Melody gave a nod, "I remember my dad talking to Ozpin about it once. He's actually Headmaster of Haven Academy. Once I say I'm his daughter I'll ask him what's going on, and what we should do about catching the ones responsible" _

"_... That's actually not a bad idea." Jaune commented,. _

"_You really did think that one through." Roman added. _

"_Well I am the daughter of one of the greatest Huntsman that ever lived!" Melody said with a smile and in a prideful tone. Ruby couldn't help but giggle at her enthusiasm. _

"_It seems like we're going to Mistral for virtually the same reasons." Ren said. _

"_No kidding." Jaune said. _

"_Like Melody said, call it coincidence." Rosario said with a shrug. _

_Melody laughed before she said, "Took the words right out of my mouth! To think I would run into my cousin all the way out here in Anima!" _

_Ruby soon gave a laugh to, "I know! I'm just as surprised as you are! I'd dare say it's a miracle to find you out here, practically in the middle of nowhere." _

_Nora soon had a thought come over her head, "Hey! Since we're heading for Mistral, why don't you guys tag along with us!" _

_Melody, Rosario and Scout looked shocked by this kind of an offer. _

"_Have us go with you?" Scout said. _

"_Wouldn't that be bothersome for you guys?" Rosario said, "I mean some of us barely know each other you know, with the exception of me, Roman, and Melody's cousin here." _

"_On the contrary it would be easier." Roman soon added, "We're all heading in the same direction anyway." _

"_Plus it wouldn't be bothersome at all!" Ruby soon added, "We could help each other!" _

"_Yep!" Cristal said, "And it wouldn't be bad to have a pretty good doctor on our team, in case we run into any trouble." _

_Scout couldn't help but turn red with embarrassment, "Well… I'm not __**THAT **__good." _

"_Says the girl whose town citizens praised her?" Melody asked amused. _

"_They just happened to like my work, that's all." Scout said. _

"_So… What do you guys say?" Ruby asked, "You wanna help us?" _

_Melody, Rosario and Scout looked to one another, as they started to give it some thought. After awhile Melody had been the first to speak up. "It's been far too long since I've been with family. There's no way I'm just gonna let this opportunity get away from me. And… If Ruby needs me to help… Than you can be sure I'm all for it." _

_Ruby couldn't help but smile at this as she laughed softly; tears almost came to her eyes. _

_Rosario soon gave a shrug, "Eh, why the hell not? As said before, we're all heading in the same direction anyway." _

"_I'll be coming to!" Scout said with a smile, "I'm sure I can be of help too." _

"_**HOORAY!**_" _Nora cheered, "__**LET'S BREAK SOMEONE'S LEGS!**_"

_The group looked to her awkwardly, as Melody, Rosario and Scout had been left befuddled. "... Uhh… What?" Rosario said. _

"_Don't worry, you'll get used to it." Ren said waving it off. _

"_Oh, wait!" Ruby soon exclaimed, "I almost forgot!" _

_The group looked to her confused before she had surprised Melody with a hug; she basically froze as she didn't know what how to react or how to respond. "This is from Maize…" Ruby soon said softly, "... She misses you… And wants you to come home soon…" _

_Melody let out a sigh before she finally hugged her back. "Oh Maize…" She said softly. _

_Cristal couldn't help but smile at this scene, before she suddenly noticed something out of the ordinary. She stood up as she looked to the sky which took the group back. "Cristal?" Roman said as he stood up beside her, "Sweetheart, what is it?" _

_Cristal didn't say anything as she walked away from the group, though she still had been close. The group became alert at this as they drew there weapons. _

"_No, wait!" Cristal told them calmly, as she held her hand out to them, "... This presence… I know it..." _

"_Presence?" Ruby said questiongly. _

_Before any of them could ask, they had heard something close by, stepping towards them in the dark; though they had still been on guard they soon lowered their weapons. They had been taken back when they saw something glow with white eyes through the thick layer of darkness. _

_Cristal's eyes widened slightly as she started to run towards the source of the light, with the group soon following behind her. _

_She slowed herself down as the young red eyed girl found herself before a particular creature. Ruby, Jaune, Nora, Ren, and Roman had been taken back by what had been before them, while Melody, Rosario and Scout's jaws seemingly dropped. _

_Before them stood a Griffon that had been that of Grimm; though it didn't have the burning red eyes unlike the the others they've seen. Instead they saw it had been white calming eyes as it had been docile, looking to Cristal in the eyes as it let out a couple of noises. _

_Melody, and Rosario readied to attack it, though Ruby stopped them from doing so as she shook her head. _

_Cristal reached out to the Griffon, before the Griffon leaned towards her until his beak touched her palm. For a moment her eye shined white instead of gold, and the right side of a butterflies wing appeared on her forehead only for a moment before disappearing again. _

_Tears started to come to her eyes as she felt her chest ache. _

"_... Senka… " She said softly, "... Your name is Senka… My sister… My baby sister… Saved you… And sent you to me..." _

_The Griffon leaned over placing his head on her shoulder as Cristal began to cry, while the group remained shocked and in awe by the scene before them. _

* * *

-_**Present; Somewhere in Remnant**_-

In a large windowed room, six people sat around a crystal like table with chairs made from that of a tree, one of them sitting in a strange way. Mercury Black and Emerald Sustari stood by the window looking onto the land of red, seeing the creatures of Grimm emerge from the pools of black.

Emerald looked fearfully while Mercury had a look of disgust on his face.

Someone had soon snapped their fingers, and just like that, they returned to a young woman's side. This person had been revealed to be that of the Fall Maiden… Cinder Fall.

Her hair had been cut short as she wore a long red dress with a single sleeve covering her entire arm.

Her face however told a different story.

Her face had a scar in the form of an X just over the bridge of her nose, and an eyepatch covering her left eye.

A young girl who looked to be that of nineteen sat by her side and next to the man who sat strangely in his chair. She had long black hair tied into a ponytail and had on a dark gray crop top revealing her breast line in a small portion of it that had been cut into a shape of a diamond and appeared to have a scar on her chest. She looked to have a scorpion's charm around her neck. She had on a pair of red wine khakis with black combat boots and dark brown ammo belt around her waist that looked to be slanted a little. She had on a pair of fingerless gloves in the color of gray that appeared to have armor paddings and reached up to her elbows, though bandages had been seen on the outside.

What struck her out the most was not only the Geist mask she had on, but upon her head, she had a pair of white horns that had been curved a little, and resembled that of a ram growing them in. She had her palm opened as she set in motion two spheres each in a different color, as red lines had been seen glowing dimly.

A tall woman stood by her side as well, as she stood eight foot two, possessing short white hair and looked as though she had been blinded as seen from a scar over both of them. She had on a black leather vest and wore a dark green collared shirt with a set of black shredded jeans with the same style boots the girl had but had been in a dark brown color.

The girl watched as Emerald and Mercury returned to Cinder's side; Emerald shoved at Mercury harshly shoved him out of the way to make room.

A man who sat across from them, one by the name of Watts soon spoke up, "Yes, please keep your…" He fixed up his tie a little, "... _**Posse**_ in check."

Mercury glared over at Watts, and went to charge at him; though Emerald had been quick to stop him. All Cinder had done was look in their direction and yet…. She said nothing.

"Do you hear that?" Watts said, "_**Silence.**_ I have half the mind to thank the little girl that bested you."

The man who was next to the young teen, one by the name of Tyrian said, "... If I were you, I'd hunt her down." He cackled, "Find her and… Well… _**She took your eye**_… Didn't she?"

All Cinder could do was stare at the man, just as he started to laugh. The young teen looked to Cinder and saw her try to say something, but she couldn't as all that came out was a raspy voice. The tall woman, though blind placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Pay them no mind _**Elise**_…" She said to the teen, as if she knew what she had been thinking, "... Focus on one thing… As your mother had said…"

"... I know, Shiro." The teen named Elise replied softly as she focused on the spheres, before she started to form a shape.

Cinder watch the young girl work, before she turned to Emerald; she leaned in, and allowed Cinder to whisper in her ear.

Watts only rolled his eyes at this, "Pathetic… Why do you even-"

Watt's sentence had been cut off when they heard the latch on the door; even Elise seemed to stop what she had been doing as the glow on her horns seemed to have vanished. Both of the doors opened, and everyone who had been sitting at the table stood, alert and their attention drawn.

One person entered the room, only one was enough to make them alert.

A woman only known as… Salem.

She stepped around the table leaving a faint trail of black vapor, at the moment not saying anything, till she reached to the throne of crystals at the far end.

Finally she spoke, as her voice sounded to be cold.

"Watts."

Watts flinched slightly as she turned to him; her eyes glowing a faint red glow, "... Do you find such malignance necessary?"

She gestured them all to sit, to which they complied; all except for Watts who stood tall.

"I apologize ma'am." Watts said calmly, "I'm not particularly fond of failure."

Salem took her seat as she looked upon those that sat at the table. "Than I see no reason for your cruelty towards young Cinder… She has become our Fall Maiden, destroyed Beacon tower, found our Elise, and most importantly… _**Killed dear Ozpin**_." She raised an eyebrow towards him, "... So I'm curious… To what failures are you referring?"

"... If I may mother…?" Elise soon spoke up, causing Salem to turn to her, "... Doctor Watts has told me of what Cinder and her group did to Beacon… And though they succeeded with your plan, they still did not acquire the Relic, nor did they get the other two descendants."

"How dare you!" Emerald said glaring at Elise, "How could you say stuff like that so casually when you weren't even there to begin with!"

"I'm merely stating facts Sustrai." Elise told her, "Facts that are clear to myself and our fellow comrades in this very room."

"You don't get to have an opinion like that Miss Plant!" Mercury said harshly, "You didn't even come around till after it all happened!"

"Yeah!" Emerald added, "If you think I'm gonna sit here and let you-"

Emerald had been cut off when her and Mercury found themselves being lifted off their ground; they were both unable to move their arms as if they had been bounded. Elise had been the cause as her horns on her head glowed red again.

"-You should really reconsider on who you speak to, unless you want to keep your voices." Elise said, "I can simply crush both of your necks and that'll be the end."

"Elise." Salem soon said sternly, "Put them down."

Elise didn't talk back, she only stayed silent as she looked to her calmly. "... Understood." She soon said, with a simple wave of her hand, Emerald and Mercury had fell on their feet catching their breaths, gasping for air.

"The young miss, does bring up a valid point your Grace." The woman beside Elise named Shiro said, "Not to mention, her and Cinder survived an encounter with the girl with Silver Eyes."

"Yes." A man named Hazel soon said, "We've dealt with her kind before… How is it a novice was able to best one of us?"

"My thoughts exactly." Watts said, "Even without her new power it should've been effortless."

"It is because of the Maiden's power." Salem soon stated, before turning to the Maiden, "... Make no mistake Cinder. You and the descendants hold the key to our victory. But you're newfound strength comes with a crippling weakness. Which is why you will remain by my side as we continue your treatment."

Cinder turned away looking unhappy to hear that as Emerald couldn't help but give a sympathetic look over in her direction.

"Dr. Watts." Salem said, "You are to take Cinder's place, and meet with our informant in Mistral."

"Very good." Watts said with a nod.

"Tyrian." She soon said turning to him, "... I want you and Elise to continue your hunt for the sisters, as well as the Spring Maiden."

"Of course." Elise said as she nodded.

Tyrian let out a chuckle, "Gladly."

"And Hazel…" She said turning to him, "... I'm sending you and Shiro to the leader of the White Fang. Adam Tarrus has arranged the meeting. The boy continues to grow loyal. Ensure that Sienna Khan feels the same."

"Yes your Grace." Shiro said as she bowed.

"... As you wish." Hazel said with a nod.

Cinder soon lifter her hand as to get Emerald's attention which she had been successful at. She leaned over and Cinder spoke in her ear; after a moment she was straightening up.

"Speak child." Salem said to Emerald.

"... She wants to know…" Emerald said nervously, "... What about the girl?"

Watts merely scoffed, "What about her? Seems like this is Cinder's problem not ours."

Cinder slammed her fist on the table as she glared over at him; Watts couldn't help but smirk. "That's enough." Salem said, causing everyone to turn to her. Salem soon had a thought come over her.

"Tyrian, Elise?" Salem said.

"... Mother?" Elise said tilting her head.

"... Yes, my lady?" Tyrian said with a smile.

"The sisters and Spring, can wait…" Salem said, "Find the girl that did this to Cinder-"

Tyrian giggled as he clapped his hands at the sound of going after the one with silver eyes, but it soon died down when-

"-_**And bring her to me.**_" She finished with a smile.

He couldn't help but let out a groan of disappointment, making Elise pat him on the shoulder; they both knew what that meant despite her not saying it directly. She wants the girl alive, no acceptions. But he soon shrugged and still had a smile anyway.

After all, just because she was needed alive… Didn't mean they couldn't hurt her.

"Because of your efforts, Beacon has fallen…" Salem said, "... And Haven… Will be next."

Everyone rose from their seats and went to leave the room. Elise went over to Tyrian as he snickered; snaking a hand around Elise's waist to bring her closer to him, he looked over to Cinder.

"_**Eye for an eye…**_" He said sinisterly.

He soon gave a laugh that echoed the entire room and halls.

(_**Ending Theme: The Promised Neverland Ending 1-Zettai Zetsumei Performed By Co shu Nie**_)


	3. Chapter 2: Prisoners

-_**Three Years Ago; Vale's Apartment 3G**_-

"_**So… Where should we go now…?"**_

"_**... Wherever you'd like."**_

"_**... How could the Gods let this happen…?"**_

"_**Please… Please bring them back…"**_

"_**... Let them rest…"**_

"_**... This isn't right! I'm begging you! Don't do this!"**_

"_**We finally had freedom…"**_

_Destiny awoke with a gasp at sudden burst of flames; she found herself struggling to breath as her heart raised at the sudden fear she felt. She had only been able to calm down since her sister had been by her side as she gently shushed her. _

"_There now, it's alright." Cristal said to her softly, giving her a pat on the back, "You're okay Princess." _

_Destiny soon heaved a deep sigh as she seemed to have calmed down. Destiny wiped the sweat from her brow before rubbing her eyes. _

"_Cristal-" She stammered, "-I-I had-" _

_Though she couldn't finish her sentence, Cristal seemed to get the idea of what she wanted to tell her. "... It's the dreams again, isn't it?" _

_Destiny gave a nod, as she let out a yawn, "...I saw her… That lady…" _

"_I know." Cristal replied softly, before she helped her out of bed, removing her IV bag from the stand provided on the side of where she slept. She set it on her lap as she sat behind her with a brush in hand she had gotten on the dresser between them._

"_... It's the strangest thing…" Destiny said as she stretched while Cristal brushed her hair gently with the comb, "... That lady… In my dreams… Even though she's a stranger to us… She gives me the same feeling as we get when we're around dad, you know?" _

"_Yeah." Cristal said before she started to tie her hair back a little when she was done, "Believe you me, I got that same feeling when I saw those dreams around your age." _

"_She's always talking to someone, and, always singing that lullaby… But… Whenever I listen to it, it always sounds sad and hurt… It's like she's crying out for help. I want to help her… But…" Destiny said as she looked to her hands, "... I don't know how…" _

_When Cristal was done, Destiny had finally turned to her. "Cristal… That lady in my-Well… I should say, our dreams… __**She's not someone we made up**_… _Is she…?" _

_Cristal's expression changed slightly, before she gave a sigh and a pat on the head. "Come on." Cristal said, with a smile, "Let's go and grab breakfast! I swear, I'm so hungry I could eat a whole moose if I wanted." _

_Destiny had struggled to say something but stopped herself from doing so as she nodded, "Ye-yeah, okay." _

_After the two of them gotten dressed they proceeded down the hall towards the kitchen. Just as they arrived where the kitchen had been jointed with the living room, they saw a familiar man orange haired man passed out on the job. _

"_Oh, looks like dad came home late…" Cristal said sadly, "... Again." _

"_I wonder what he had to do that made him come back home so late." Destiny wondered aloud. _

"_Who knows…" Her sister replied with a shrug, "... It's not like he tells much about what he does with his line of work anyway." _

"_I guess." The little one said as she approached towards his side, watching him as he slept. Placing her IV bag down she pulled a blanket over him as she saw him shift a little. As Cristal had gotten out a couple of eggs and a clean bowl she couldn't help but notice the expression her younger sister gave as she watched him sleep. _

"_I know that look anywhere." Cristal said, "What are you thinking about?" _

"_... Dad hasn't been getting much sleep as of late…" Destiny said worryingly, "... It's those jobs that man has been giving him… We gotta help him out in collecting the money he needs." _

"_... Princess…" Cristal soon started to say, "... I want to be able to help dad too, but… We're underage. We couldn't land jobs even if we wanted to." _

"_Well, we can't just sit here and do nothing!" Destiny said to her sister, "He's helped us a lot, so there's gotta be something we can do for him in return!"_

_Cristal only shook her head before she started to crack the eggs into the bowl, before she started to stir them with a pair of chopsticks. _

"_... How do you propose we do that?" She asked her little sister. _

* * *

_(__**Opening Theme: RWBY V4 Opening Theme-Let's Just Live Performed By Casey Lee Williams**_)

-_**Present; Atlas, Schnee Mansion**_-

Weiss sat in her room, watching as the airships passed by just outside of her window. She couldn't help but reminiscence the days she spent at Beacon, where she had the rest of her teammates made her feel whole. Sure she didn't become leader of RWBY but she came to accept her position overtime.

For but a brief moment, she turned her hands on her lap. She was eyeing a white and light blue beaded bracelet that had been slightly covered in gray, recalling who had made it for her.

At the very thought, she missed the two of them dearly. The two sisters, Destiny and Cristal. Even after the doubles rounds in the tournament she never got the bracelet cleaned up; she kept it just the way it was, as if it had always been a part of it.

She worried for Cristal when she heard she had been put into a coma, and worried more so when she heard Destiny was declared missing. It even terrified her at the thought of the worst case scenario. Were they both alive? Was Destiny safe? Did Cristal pull through? Were they able to reunite with Roman?

These sorts of questions kept coming up, all which were left unanswered.

If she had to be honest… That's what terrified her the most.

She was soon snapped out of her thoughts when she felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned to see that it was two young girls, looking to be about thirteen. Both of them had white hair like she did, and looked alike, down to the freckles and the odd eyes of a different shade of blue.

The only difference however, was one had a pair of small low pigtails that rested on her shoulders, as she wore a jean jacket and brown shorts with black leggings along with a pair of fingerless gloves with a pair of kitten faces and she had on a pair of ankle high black sneakers.

The girl beside her had long shoulder length white hair with a red ribbon tied behind the back of her head and she wore a light blue dress with white sleeves with a pair of brown shoes, and white frilly socks and a set of pearl earrings on her ears.

She recognized them to be her younger sisters, the twins Van (Girl with Long Hair) and Nilla (Girl with Low Pigtails).

"Hi Weiss!" The girl named Nilla said, "Van and I finally did it! We finally made them dance!"

"We showed Nava and she really liked it! We wanted to show you too!" Van said with a smile, "Wanna see?"

Oh, so that's what it was, Weiss thought in her head. She gave a small smile before she replied, "Alright… Show me."

Nilla nodded and smiled as did Van. Nilla took out a CD player from within her jacket, and a bag of marbles handing a second bag over to Van. She sat the CD player on the table and plugged it into the speaker before it started to play a song that was slow, yet soft.

Reaching into the bag, they each pulled out three small marbles; Nilla's marbles were marked with snowflakes while Van's had been marked with flames. They both kneeled and allowed them to roll onto the floor, each far apart from each other.

They soon stood up, and with simple movements from their hands, six glyphs appeared where the marbles had stopped rolling; the glyphs were white and blue. Mist appeared around them and before Weiss knew it, there were small ice sculptures and figures of fire appeared as they had been a size of toys.

All six of them were in the form of ballet dancers. They danced in sync with the song that played that was on the CD player, as Van and Nilla's eyes were closed shut. Weiss had always been impressed by their abilities, as had been her other younger sibling Nava.

She could see they took after their mother. Both were at a young age, and yet they had such high concentration of their abilities. Weiss was proud of them and why wouldn't she be? They were really improving the last time she saw them, and that was before she left for Beacon.

Soon the song had ended, the ice sculptures and figures of fire had taken a bow before they formed back into marbles.

Weiss clapped as Van and Nilla stood up before they took a bow.

"Did you really like it Weiss?" Nilla asked.

"Did you?" Van asked.

"Of course." Weiss said with a small smile, "You've both gotten better since I left."

Weiss soon noticed that Van and Nilla's smile disappeared from their faces and they looked to each other. She had been taken back by this sort of reaction. "What's wrong?" Weiss asked the two of them.

"Nothing it's just…" Van said, "... You didn't sound impressed."

"What makes you say that?" Weiss asked.

Nilla picked up the marbles before she replied, "... It's just that… You haven't been yourself since you came back with father. You mostly spend your time in your room, rather than outside."

"Are you sure you're alright?" Van asked.

Weiss didn't answer, as she just kept herself silent; she just turned her attention to the window.

"Weiss…" Nilla said, "... If you're sad, we can cheer up. Just tell us what's wrong and we'll find a way to help."

Weiss looked to her sister before she let out a sigh, "I appreciate it but… You've both just turned thirteen and you're still children… I don't know if you would understand."

Van and Nilla soon placed their hands over her own. "We want to try to understand." Nilla said, "Please?"

"We don't want to see you sad." Van said, "If you tell us, than we'll understand."

Weiss looked into their different shades of blue eyes; that concern they had… It reminded her of her partner, her leader Ruby; back to when they found out Blake had been a Fanus. She showed nothing but concern for her when her teammate just ran, when she herself had doubts about Blake. How could she say no to a pair of faces like that?

Before she could say anything however, there was a knock at her door.

"Yes?" Weiss said.

A butler by the of Klien soon opened the door as he stepped inside.

"Pardon the interruption Miss Schnee." He said to Weiss in particular as he bowed, "But your father wishes to speak with you."

"... Thank you Klien." Weiss said before she looked to the twins, "... I'll tell you both later."

"Promise?" The two of them said.

"... Promise." Weiss said before she gave them each a kiss on the forehead.

She stood up from her seat before she sauntered over to the door.

"Weiss!" Van soon said making her stop and turn to her, "... Good luck."

Weiss only nodded, before she exited the room. Though the twins were curious as to what their father wanted to discuss, and they decided to follow close behind her.

* * *

-_**Somewhere in Anima**_-

"_**... Do you believe in destiny?**_"

"**...**_**Yes."**_

"_**... Jaune…" **_

"_**No…!... No…!...Pyrrha…!"**_

"_**PYRRHA!"**_

Ruby gasped at the sound of Cristal screaming, finding that it had still been early in the morning. She sat up from her sleeping bag and saw that the others had still been soundly. She let out a sigh as she stood up to stretch, looking onto her comrades that were in their sleeping bags still sleeping soundly. Roman on the other hand had been sleeping against a tree with his hat covering his face.

She let out a sigh as she felt her head give out a ring as she groaned.

"Guess I'm not the only one who decided to get the early bird."

Ruby jumped and looked over in the direction of the voice. She saw it had been Cristal, who had been wide awake, and sitting against the large Griffon Senka.

"Cristal?" She said surprised, "What are you doing up this early?"

"... Had trouble sleeping last night." Cristal replied, before she let out a yawn, "Decided to stay up and keep watch."

Ruby couldn't help but look to her with worry, "... Again? Cristal you know that's bad for you."

"Oh, don't you worry about me." Cristal said to her with a smile, "I'm just fine. I'm more of a nightowl than I am a bluebird anyway."

Cristal could still see the concern in Ruby's silver eyes. Out of everyone in the group, only she knew that she couldn't find herself having a good night sleep. Cristal kept telling her the same thing everytime she would ask.

"Don't worry about it." She would say.

"It's nothing." She would say.

Each time a different phrasing, yet, it would be the same answer, and it would add more to her worry. Still, she couldn't help but wonder why she was having trouble sleeping; especially considering it has been going on for the past few months since they began this journey. She wanted to be able to help her-

-But she couldn't since she kept to herself.

* * *

After the others had woken up, and ate up a quick meal, they continued down the path provided for them. Thankfully they were able to find the map they had since it had been in Nora's bag the whole time.

Ruby was currently lead the way, as she had been trying to make sense of the map; although it wasn't working out.

"So the next town is—" Ruby said, as she had been turning the map, "—Uh-uh… Alright…"

The group soon watched as Ruby had slumped over, with the map hanging from her hand, "We're lost."

"We're not lost!" Jayne said, "The next town is Shion! My family used to visit there all the time!"

That must've been nice for you." Scout said with a smile, "It was the same with me with my mother and father. We would often stop by to get some healing herbs. Even though it was only for a day, it was still nice."

"Maybe we can see all the sights once we're there." Jaune suggested.

"If we have the time for it." Roman said.

"Dad, come on." Cristal said, "Don't be such a stick in the mud!"

"Wait a minute!" Melody said, "When you say family, do you mean your whole family?"

"Didn't you say you had like… Eight sisters or something?" Rosario asked.

"Seven, actually." Jaune replied awkwardly, making Ruby giggle.

"You know that does explain a lot." Nora said with a smile.

"Wait, what do you mean by-"

"Anyway!" Cristal said cutting him off, "What did you guys do in the village?"

"Oh, all sorts of things!" Jaune said before he started to show Ruby and Cristal, "Over here's a great hiking trail, and right over there is where we went camping! I got to have my own tent, because I was special!"

"Special?" Ruby said with a raised eyebrow.

"That and so my sister would stop braiding my hair…" He added embarrassed.

"Aww, what's the matter? You didn't like the look?" Cristal asked teasingly.

"Yeah, they just kept on doing pigtails." Jaune replied, "Personally, I'm more of a wolf-tails kind of guy, you know, like what Roman's got!" Everyone had been taken back by this sort of phrasing. Who even uses that term, they all thought in unison.

"Arky…" Roman soon said, "... I'm pretty sure you mean a ponytail…"

"I know what I said." Jaune said confidently.

Most of the group had stopped in their tracks as their eyes had laid upon what had been before them; Though, Ruby, Cristal, Jaune and Roman didn't seem to notice as they continued to move.

"Uh… Guys…?" Nora said shocked.

"Huh?" The four of them said, before they finally picked up their heads. Their eyes soon widened in shock by what laid before them.

"Good God…" Rosario said solemnly as her gaze softened.

Right before their very eyes, the village of Shion, one that had been filled with life had now been in ruins. Nothing but the color gray had laid before them, and leftover ash had fallen from the skies, and it had been quiet throughout the village. Corpses laid along the ground, each one looking more grotesque than the one before.

The whole group quickly ran in the village with their weapons armed; they looked through the buildings, or what once had been buildings as they were searching for something or somebody.

"Stay sharp!" Melody told the group, "There might still be survivors!"

Frosty who had run ahead of the group, started to let out a high pitched bark to get their attention. They followed Frosty's barks and soon saw him beside a man with a weapon at his side. His hand had been over his abdomen that was fresh, and had been propped against what had been left of a wall. Ren and Scout immediately went to his side.

"A Huntsman!" Ruby exclaimed.

"Can you help him?" Ren asked the Fanus.

Scout removed the man's hand gently to examine the wound, "I'll try…" She replied softly, before she went to work on stopping the man's bleeding.

Roman soon approached the man, as he kneeled in front of him.

"Can you hear me?" Roman asked, the man, "Can you tell us what happened here?"

The Huntsman coughed as he struggled to reply, "... Bandits… A… A whole tribe… And… With all the panic…"

"..._**Grimm**_…" Ren soon finished for the man.

Roman soon noticed the wound, as Scout was struggling to stop the bleeding. He had seen this kind of wound inflicted before, therefore he unfortunately knew, the Huntsman before his very eyes… Didn't have very long.

"Alright…!" He soon heard Ruby say, "... We can get him to the next village over and find a doctor there!"

"Ren and I can take turns carrying him!" Jaune soon suggested.

"No need!" Cristal soon said, "I can have Senka carry him!"

Senka let out a questioning squawk as he tilted his head.

"Do you think he'll be okay with that?" Melody asked.

"He might not be at first, but I'll convince him otherwise." Cristal replied.

Senka let out a growl, as if he had been speaking to her. "Well like it or not, you're gonna have to live with it!" She told him.

"... Don't bother." Roman replied as he stood, "He's not going to survive the trip."

The group looked to him surprised. "Dad… How can you say that?" Cristal asked.

"How do you know that?" Ruby asked him.

"Red… Look at him!" He said sternly, "That bleeding isn't going to stop! He'll be dead within minutes…"

"You can't just give up on him like that!" Cristal exclaimed.

"Little Gem-" Roman started to say, before he had been cut off by Jaune.

"Your wrong! He's going to make it!" He said, "We'll make sure of it!"

"He's gotta a point you guys…" Rosario stated sadly, "He's not going to survive if we take him…"

"Maybe they're right…" Nora added, "... I don't if they'll make it…"

"He will!" Jaune said, "He has to!"

"We can increase his chances if we leave here right away!" Melody soon said.

"You're right!" Ruby said, "I can run ahead and look for help!"

"I'll come with!" Cristal said, "I can help cover more ground!"

"Red, Cristal-!" Roman started to say.

"He _**WILL**_ make it!" Ruby said cutting him off, "So don't say that he won't!"

"You guys…" They soon heard Rosario say, getting their attention. They noticed Scout had her head down and the ears upon her head had been slanted.

Their eyes soon fell upon the Huntsman as had showed no signs of movement. His eyes were opened slightly and that they lost color. The group couldn't help but have solemn looks on their faces as they came to a realization.

Scout proceeded to shut the man's eyes as it looked as though he had been sleeping peacefully.

"His wound was too severe I'm afraid…" Scout said, with sadness in her voice, "... There was nothing that could be done."

They couldn't help but mourn for the Huntsman before them; It hadn't been long before Frosty started to howl for the man before them as if he had been mourning as well.

Finally after what had seemed like hours, Ren was the first to speak up.

"We should go." He said, "It's not safe here."

"We can't just leave him like this…" Scout said to him, "... We should at least bury him…"

"I can agree with Ninja here." Rosario said, "Whatever kind of Grimm came through this place might come back."

"But…" Ruby started to say, "... He's a Huntsman. It wouldn't be right just to abandon him like this."

Roman finally heaved a sigh before he spoke his mind, "Red and Foxy are right. We should bury him, he's a Huntsman afterall. He doesn't deserve to be left out here to rot."

Cristal soon noticed the look on her father's face at his words; her gaze softened slightly, "Dad…"

"Some of you can look around to see if you can find any shovels." Roman soon said, "Or at the very least things that could be used for digging. Cristal and I will look for a spot to bury him. Meet back here once you've found something."

RNJR and CRMS looked to one another as they had been equally surprised that Roman had taken charge of the situation. "Well…" Melody soon said, "... You heard him. Let's work quick. However don't let your guard down easily, there could still be Grimm left roaming around here."

With one last glance to each other, each of the party left, looking through the destroyed village. Cristal looked at her father's expression as she now looked worried. She approached him, placing her hand on his arm.

"Dad…?" Cristal said, "... Are you okay?"

Roman didn't respond as he looked to her, before he gently pulled her into a hug, hiding his face. As she returned the gesture, she felt his body shake.

Ruby watched from a distance as she saw Roman and Cristal exchange in a hug; she couldn't help but have her concerns. She remembered the story Cristal and Destiny told them… About how they lost their mother, about how they lost what little of a normal life they had. She knew very well, what it was like to lose a mother… And yet all she could do was imagine the kind of pain they went through and for that matter, the kind of feeling Roman had been going through right now.

She was worried about them… About him… About everyone really.

She turned to Jaune, as she noticed the expression he made, "... Jaune?... Are you okay?"

Jaune let out a sigh, "... I'm just… Tired of losing everything."

* * *

-_**Atlas; Schnee Mansion**_-

Weiss didn't know how many times she found herself walking through the enormous halls of her home; Always going to her father whenever he needed to talk to her. Everyday of her life, for as long as she could remember… Was like living in that of a dollhouse. Always being told what to do, always doing what her father thought best was for the family name?

But was it really?

Since she had returned, she didn't know what to think anymore.

All she thought about was what had happened months prior. In all that time she spent, she forgot what it was like back home again. She hardly remembered the happy times she spent in the large house… All the memories she had before her sisters had been born, was nothing but sadness, nothing… But control.

As she had approached her father's office, she was greeted by the sound of a familiar voice just in front of her.

"Good afternoon sister."

She picked up her head and noticed two people in front of her. One had been her younger brother with short white hair, one by the name of Whitely who appeared to be fifteen. The other had been a young girl with a braided ponytail who appeared to be fourteen, named Nava.

Whitley had been tall and slender, with light blue eyes, wearing a white short sleeved with a black tie and vest wearing dark blue pants with a pair of black shoes. Nava had dark blue eyes as she wore a light ocean blue dress that reached up to her knees, and had a pair of brown shoes as she looked to be nervous.

"It's a pleasure to see you out of your room for a change." Whitley said as he bowed.

"H-Hi Weiss." Nava said nervously.

"Hi there Nava." Weiss said to her with a warm smile, before she looked to Whiteley as her tone changed, "Hello Whiteley, you're an awfully cheery mode today."

"Klein made crepes for breakfast." Whitley replied with a smile.

Weiss raised her eyebrow as she noticed the look on Nava's face as she looked to the floor. She shook it off before she asked him, "What do you want?"

"I heard father shouting with someone in his study earlier." Whitley replied.

"Is it mother?" Weiss asked.

Nava shook her head, before stating sadly, "She's outside in the garden. Drinking again." She soon looked to Weiss, "... It was a man father was speaking too… I think…"

"Nava and I just wanted to warn you." Whitley stated, "We heard he wanted to speak with you."

"... I'll be fine." Weiss said as she rubbed her elbow.

"We know you will." Whitley said just as Nava had been about to say something, "You're strong like Winter-" He placed a hand on Nava's shoulder causing her to flinch, "-It's no wonder Nava here, as well as Van and Nilla look up to you and here."

Weiss couldn't help but look confused, "... You never liked Winter."

"True…" Whitley replied, removing his hand from Nava, "... But you can't deny her resolve."

"You seem… _**Different**_."

"And you've been gone. I'll have you know that I didn't stop growing while you were at Beacon."

Whitley soon turned and walked away, "Anyway… Good luck with father. Come along Nava."

Nava glanced back at Weiss, before she gave a small wave to her. Weiss waved back to her before she went to catch up with Whitley. Placing her hand on the beaded bracelet to her wrist, she approached her father's office. Though just as she did, she heard voices inside the office.

"-I'm not talking about the good of the company, I'm talking about the future of Atlas!"

"That is a load of garbage and you know it!"

"I beg your pardon!"

Weiss opened the door and stepped inside, seeing her father and Ironwood within the office; both of them yelling at one another. They didn't even noticed she stepped inside as they continued to argue.

"Jacques!" Ironwood said, "Will you please hear me out!?"

Weiss's father, by the name of Jacques slammed his drink on the table roughly as he sat back in his chair.

"You are a trusted friend and ally to this family James…" Jacques said, "... But what you're suggesting is absurd!"

"You are blowing it out of proportion."

"**THE COUNCIL WILL NEVER AGREE TO IT!**"

"You forget… I hold two seats on the council."

"Your Dust embargo has already cost me _**MILLIONS**_! I can promise you I have not forgotten!"

"So this is about _**YOU**_?"

Weiss had been startled when the door close shut a bit louder than she expected. She saw Jacques and Ironwood look over in her direction as she put her hands behind her back and stood straight.

"Miss Schnee!" Ironwood said as he stood; he bowed his head, "My apologies, I should've been gone by now."

"No, it's okay!" Weiss reassured him.

Ironwood soon turned over to Jacques, "We'll continue this another time."

"Indeed." Jacques said, "Klein can show you out."

"That won't be necessary." He said, "I know the way. Until next time Jacques."

With that, Ironwood proceeded to head out the door. Before he did he turned to Weiss, "Please know that you'll always have a home at Atlas Academy Miss Schnee. We'll be back in session before you know it."

He took his leave, as only her and Jacques had been the ones left in the room.

"Did you forget your manners while you were away?" Jacques asked his daughter.

Weiss sighed before she turned to him, "No father, I'm sorry."

"Can you believe that they're still people in the world that blame Atlas for what happened to Beacon?" He said, "To Vale?"

"Well… They weren't there." She replied.

Jacques soon sat at his desk as he turned in his chair, his back to Weiss, "It's a wonder he wasn't stripped from his rank. I suppose the council trusts him… For better or worse."

"... I trust him." Weiss said.

He sighed as he turned back to her, "Thanks to him, Atlas is forbidden from exporting Dust to other Kingdoms. '_A precautionary measure_' as he puts it. '_Until we can be certain nobody is going to declare war._' How in the world could anyone possibly find that to be sound logic is beyond me… Which is why the Schnee Dust Company will be holding a charity concert in the coming weeks."

Weiss's expression perked up. Mostly she had been surprised her father suggested something like this.

"We need to show the people of Remnant that we're on their side." Jacques had explained, "That we're all victims of the fall of Beacon."

"... That's…. Wonderful news!" Weiss said with a smile.

"I know." Jacques said, "... And I think it would make a lot of people happy… If _**YOU**_ performed at the event."

At this, Weiss lost her smile, "... Excuse me?"

"Many forget you were there." Jacques explained, "My own daughter, a Schnee! On the grounds defending another kingdom! We need to remind them, and show them that the Schnee family is strong as ever!"

She couldn't help but look skeptical at this, "... Are you asking me if I would like to sing… _**Or are you telling me?**_"

Jacques only smiled, "... I think it would make a lot of people… Very happy."

Weiss looked into her father's eyes, before she let out a sigh, "... I'll start practicing."

Jacques couldn't help but look pleased, "... That's my girl."

With that being said, Weiss left the room without another word; the minute she shut the door behind her, she noticed the twins standing there. They both had worried looks on their faces. "Van… Nilla…" She said softly, "... How long have you two been listening?"

"Father's making you sing again?" Van asked her.

Weiss's expression changed, "No." She said trying to reassure them, "No it's nothing like that."

"But it's true… Isn't it?" Nilla stated softly, "... It's not fair… Doesn't father know what you've been through? True… We may not know, but…"

"... _**He definitely doesn't.**_" Van had finished.

Weiss held a tearful expression this time, as she couldn't help but hug them both; they returned her embrace as they gave her comfort.

"Hot coffee Miss Schnee?"

The three sisters turned and saw Klein had been holding a tray with three cups, each in a different shade of blue, as they broke out of the hug. "I always find he keeps his study dreadfully cold." He said to Weiss with a smile.

Weiss took the mug that had been in the middle, "... Thank you Klein."

Klein only nodded before he turned to the twins, "Here you are Miss Van, Miss Nilla." He said to them warmly, "I took the liberty of making you hot chocolate."

"Awesome!" Nilla said with a smile, taking her mug.

"Thank you very much!" Van added.

They both took a sip from the cup before Klien noticed the look on Weiss's face. She looked down after her conversation with Jacques.

Luckily, he knew just what would lighten the mood.

"You know what I think?" Klein asked, as he put the tray in front of his face. When he removed it, his had turned from brown to red.

"I think it's just to balance out all of his hot air!" He spoke with a gruff accent.

The twins giggled as he laughed, while Weiss smiled.

"Klein!" She said, checking the door to make sure Jacques didn't hear anything. Though ultimately she started to laugh too.

He soon let out a sneeze as his eyes changed to blue.

"Uh-Apologies my lady's!" He said, this time, his voice sounding high pitch.

He pretended to sneeze again, and the three girls giggled as he wiggled his moustache. His eyes soon changed to yellow as he sighed happily, "There's my happy little snowflake!"

"Funny as always, huh Klein?" Van said as she had a smile as well.

"Well Weiss?" Nilla asked, "Do you feel any better?"

Weiss nodded in reply, before she looked to their butler "... Thank you Klein."

* * *

"_**Jaune…" **_

"_**... Do you believe…"**_

"_**... Jaune...!"**_

"_**... In something called magic?"**_

"_**... Jaune!" **_

Ruby awoke after yet another dream, this one being different from the rest. When she opened her eyes, she found that it was still late. She had decided to go back to sleep, until-

"_**Jaune.**_"

Her eyes widened as she sat up from her sleeping bag. When she looked around, she saw everyone had still been asleep like usual. Frosty had been on top of Melody's bottom half as she slept, while Senka slept beside Cristal, his whole body practically curled up against her,

She heard her!

She heard Pyrrha, though she knew that to be impossible. She soon noticed Jaune had been missing as well as Roman from where they had usually slept. She got up from where she slept, and followed the sound of Pyrrha's voice as the fireflies glowed in the night; a single one nearly landed on her finger.

Than, she noticed Jaune as she hid herself behind a tree nearby.

He had been armed with his sword and shield, as he had been taking a couple of practice swings. Sitting on a stump nearby, had been his scroll; a familiar red haired girl had been within the frame of it.

She recognized her… To be Pyrrha.

"_Alright Jaune, just like we practiced._" Pyrrha said in the video, "_Follow these instructions._"

Jaune tightened his grip on his sword and shield and prepared for the instructions that were to follow.

"_Shield up._"

He brought his shield up.

"_Keep your grip tight._"

He doubled check to make sure he had his grip tight.

"_Don't forget to keep your right foot forward._"

He kept his right foot in place, since he hadn't forgotten.

"_Ready?... Go!_"

Jaune swung his sword, cutting the air, as if an enemy had been standing in front of him.

"_Again!_"

He moved forward again, using his opposite foot this time as he swung his blade.

"_And again!_"

Jaune took one final swing, stepping further onto the bed of grass. He took deep breaths as he had been catching his breath, after taking three powerful swings.

Pyrrha giggled in the video, "_Alright, now assuming you haven't cheated, we can take a break._"

He wiped the sweat off of his brow as he looked to the video.

"_I know this can be frustrating…_" Pyrrha began to say, "_... And it can feel like so much effort to progress such a small amount, but…_" She soon smiled, "_... I want you to know that I'm proud of you. I've never met someone so determined to better themselves. You've grown so much since we started training. And I know… This is just the beginning._"

Pyrrha soon looked away from the camera; her face turned slightly red, "_Jaune…_" She struggled to say, "_... I… I…_"

Ruby saw Jaune anxiously waiting, like he was expecting Pyrrha in the video to finish.

It hadn't been long before she turned back to the camera with a smile on her face, "._.. I just want you to know… I'm happy to be a part of your life. No matter what happens… __**I'll always be here for you Jaune**_."

"_Pyra!_"

A twelve year old girl soon came into view; she had possessed magenta hair with her bangs partly in orange as she had a black eye patch over her right eye. She jumped onto Pyrrha's back as the teen couldn't help but laugh.

Jaune cracked a smile as did Ruby when they saw it had been Destiny.

"_I found you Pyra~!_" Destiny said as she kicked her legs a little.

"_You certainly did._" Pyrrha said taking the child's hands into her own.

"_Everyone's waiting for you so we can head to the stadium._" Destiny said, "_The single rounds start tonight and you could be picked for the first match!_"

"_Don't you worry I wouldn't forget a thing like that._" Pyrrha said, "_We shouldn't keep them waiting._"

Destiny gave a nod, before she noticed the camera on the scroll had still been going. "_Oh no…_" She said worryingly, "_I'm sorry, were you recording something? Did I interrupt?_"

Pyrrha reassured her, as she took her in her arms, once she got her off he back, "_I was, but I'm all finished now. You didn't interrupt anything._"

"_Oh…_" The child said softly, "_... What were you recording?_"

"_That's a little secret_." She replied, "_But… Since your good with keeping secrets, I'll tell you about it later_."

Destiny soon held out her pinky, "_Promise?_"

Pyrrha laughed softly before intertwining her pinky with the little ones, "_Promise._"

Their foreheads touched each others as they both possessed a smile; Pyrrha soon looked to the scroll before she pressed a button, letting the video come to an end.

Though it wasn't a second later when the video just rewinded itself back to the beginning.

She repeated the same words as she did when the recording started. Just as Jaune was about to repeat his movements from earlier, a hand reached out and paused the video.

"You know…" A voice soon said, "... If you're going to be out here just to reminisce, the least you can do is be sensible about it."

Jaune looked as did Ruby; both of them had been surprised when they saw that it had been Roman.

"... What are you doing up?" Jaune asked him.

"Couldn't sleep." Roman replied leaning against the stump, "Though I would take an evening stroll to take my mind off of my troubled thoughts." He soon looked to the scroll, "... May I?"

"Sure, go ahead." Jaune said.

Roman took the scroll from where it sat and looked to the video; he fast forwarded it a little just when Destiny came into view of the video.

"This is her than…? Pyrrha Nikos?" Roman said, though he didn't expect Jaune to answer, "The one many called, the Invincible Girl. Cristal talks a lot about her… Red does too, and your friends when they can. Red told me… Her and Destiny were practically best friends.

Jaune nodded at this, "... Most of us were busy when we were finishing the preparations for the Vytal Festival. Pyrrha mostly volunteered to look after Destiny."

Roman couldn't help but chuckle, "I can't believe she even gave her a nickname. Pyra…" He laughed again, "... It's clever. Though, I didn't think that trait of mine would rub off on her. Here I thought she took more after her…"

His words started to trail off, and Jaune had been quick to put together as to why, when he saw his expression had saddened a little.

Roman soon cleared his throat, "... From hearing from this video… I can tell she meant a lot to you too."

This time Jaune stayed silent, as he looked to the floor.

"... Your torn about what happened to her…" Roman soon added, "... Who could blame you for it? From what your teammates said… You were the one that had been very close to her."

"She…" Jaune began to say, "... Was the first person to ever believe in men, when I started to attend to Beacon. Even when I didn't deserve it… She was right there. I can't seem to let go of all that you know?"

"It's kind of funny, when I think about it actually…" Roman couldn't help but comment, "... Everytime Cristal, Red, or the others talk about Pyrrha… It makes me think back to my wife. The more I think about it, the more I realize… The way Pyrrha was… It was like how Trinity had been. I assume they told you about her?"

"... Yeah." Jaune said, "... Cristal was really close to her, and Destiny… Even though, she's never met her, she looks up to her, and loves her like she does."

"That's thanks to the stories I tell about her every now and again." He continued, "But… I'm going to let you in on a little secret, just a little something between us."

Jaune looked confused, as he couldn't help but wonder what he meant by that.

It hadn't been long before Roman answered his question for him, "... My life… Wasn't exactly easy. I came from a place you wouldn't believe. Back when I was around the same age as you, I used to think us people, were just-If you'll forgive the expression-A wolf in sheep's clothing. After I left, what let's just say, would've been the end of my life, I encountered a lot of people that stabbed me in the back just to save their own skin. Or worse they would do it for their own entertainment. Everyday I told myself, people are the worst, I even found days where I hated myself, because I turned into one of them."

Roman soon gave a smile, "... But, my perspective changed, when I met a girl with magenta hair, and having eyes, that I swear… To this day, I believe are made from the finest amethyst. She-like your friend, saw a side in my I didn't even know I had. She showed me, that even though the world was cruel, there was always something good to look forward to. She showed me, that there were people like her, that were decent, honest and hardworking like her. She never gave up on a person, even to others that many didn't think needed a second chance. It's what made me fall in love with her to begin with."

Jaune couldn't help but be in awe by this, "Whoa… I don't know what to say…"

Roman soon placed the scroll back on the stump as he he turned to Jaune, "The point I'm making here is simple." He said, "People like my wife… People like Pyrrha are not ones that tend to stay forgotten. Even with Trinity gone… Her love is still there. Not a day goes by when I wished she was still here, to watch our little Gem and our Princess to grow up one day. We can't forget about the people we love… Despite how much it hurts, we can't. But… We can learn to move on from it. Sooner or later, you'll have to learn to move on as well… Even if you don't want to."

Jaune looked to Roman, before he looked to the still image of Pyrrha and Destiny; though really, he was looking to Pyrrha in particular as he had a certain thought.

"Thank you." Jaune said to Roman, "I appreciate what your saying, really."

Roman gave a pat on the shoulder as he proceeded to take his leave, "... Try not to stay up too late Arky. It's bad for your health."

Ruby who watched and listened to the whole thing, couldn't help but have her own smile. Despite her still having her worry and concerns, she was surprised Roman lending a hand. She wanted to be able to help him as well, though she just didn't know how.

"Didn't anyone ever tell you it's rude to eavesdrop Red?"

Ruby jumped and saw Roman standing next to her.

"How long have you been listening?" He asked her.

"Awhile." Ruby replied softly, not wanting Jaune to hear.

Roman gave a nod before saying, "We better head back, and get some sleep. We gotta a long day of walking ahead of us."

"What about Jaune?" She asked him.

"Don't worry about him." He reassured her, "He'll catch up. Now let's go before he sees you here."

Taking one last glance at Jaune she walked alongside Roman as they headed back towards the campsite. It hadn't been long before he heard her giggle.

"What?" He asked giving a quizzical look, "What's so funny?"

"Oh nothing~!" She replied teasingly, "I didn't know you were one to give really good advice."

Roman turned away from Ruby, his face slightly red with embarrassment, making Ruby giggle a little more.

"You know something…" She said as she gave him an affectionate nudge on the elbow, "... You've changed in a good way these last few months we've been out here."

Roman chuckled taking a puff from his cigar, "What can I say? Not everyone stays the same."

(_**Ending Theme: The Promised Neverland Ending 1-Zettai Zetsumei Performed By Co shu Nie**_)


	4. Chapter 3: Like Morning Follows Night

(_**Opening Theme: RWBY V4 Opening Theme-Let's Just Live Performed By Casey Lee Williams**_)

-_**Somewhere Across the Ocean**_-

The boat had glided across the water, like an aircraft in the clouds. Many of its passengers on board were either enjoying the view or just running about the deck. Blake Belladonna was one of it's passengers that had stood among the crowd, looking upon the ocean, just having thoughts about all that has happened over the course of a few moments.

At one point she looked down at a beaded bracelet around her wrist, as she couldn't but reminisce. She had been worried about the two sisters since the Fall of Beacon. It was bad enough that Cristal had been put into a coma, but for Destiny to turn up missing? She couldn't help but feel like she was to blame.

The only reason why it had been like this because of the White Fang.

A group she had been a part of.

She had to leave for everyone's sake.

For her teammates sake…

She couldn't risk anymore of them getting hurt.

She looked upon children playing nearby, without a care in the world; for a single brief moment she saw two familiar faces appear before her very eyes, having the familiar smile on their faces. The little one for a moment turned to her and-

"Hey sis?"

Blake had been startled when she saw a girl looking no more than sixteen beside her; she had the same eyes as her as well as a set of cat ears like she did; she appeared to have her right ear chipped and looked to have a scar under her lip and cheek. She had on a pair of golden bracelets, a gray jacket with a dark brown shirt, and a pair of black shorts, with dark red boots. One her hands, her left looked to be wrapped in bandages while her left had been a vambrace in the color of gray.

"_**Shae**_…" Blake said with relief, "... You scared me."

"Sorry about that…" Shae said, as she handed her a bottle of water, "... Here. Just bought this. Thought you might be thirsty."

Blake took the water bottle from her, "... Thank you."

She took a sip from it, as she gazed at the ocean once more; Shae did the same as she stood by her awkwardly.

"... It's weird being with you again." Shae couldn't help but say, "... Not that I'm saying I'm grateful or anything, but… I didn't expect you to forgive me after all I said to you when you left…" Her ears on her head slanted a little, "... Sorry… I'm bringing you down, aren't I?"

Blake shook her head to her, "... It's alright. I'm just glad you were able to come to your senses and left the White Fang."

Shae only gave a small smile, "After what Adam did to you and that girl, and… What he made us do to Beacon… It was the wake up call I needed." She soon had a guilty look on her face, "... I just wished I could've stopped it."

Blake pulled Shae closer to her, as she allowed her head to lean on her shoulder, "... It's not your fault…" Was the only thing she had told her.

Shae stayed silent as she slowly shut her eyes, just listening to the sound of the waves and wind.

There was a time when there was a distance between Blake and her younger sister; that time was when they were a part of the White Fang. When they were only children, the participated in the protests and rally's; as they had always been at the front of the line. They began to grow apart, when the White Fang turned to a more violent approach. Shae appeared to fully support their new leader and Adam's strategies while Blake had realized their mistakes and saw the path they were on, wasn't the right one.

The final nail in the coffin, was when Blake left for Beacon.

At the time, Shae hated her own sister to her core… _**But not in the way Adam did**_.

When she had been told about what he did, she couldn't believe it. No… It was more like she didn't want to believe it.

From then, and especially the horrors she witnessed at Beacon… She came to realize Blake had been right all along. She did want to hurt people that called them freaks and ridiculed her people for so long, but no one ever told her they would bring in Grimm, hurt innocent people, and what's worse… Follow orders from the very people they were trying to hurt.

She knew it would only get worse, so she decided to leave before she became a part of something, not even her own family could save her from.

She knew what she had been leaving behind, but it was at that point she didn't care others thought of her.

She had managed to find Blake at the docks, catching the last ship leaving to their home; She mentally prepared a whole speech for her, and prepared to get on her knees and beg her to forgive her.

Though she had been surprised when she had gotten no reply, or even so much as a yell. All Blake did was give her a hug. Shae had been paralyzed with shock, but was glad to have her sister back after so long.

Now here they were, on the same boat, literally; heading in the same direction, wanting the same thing.

They were enjoying each others company, until-

"You two traveling alone?"

Blake immediately became alert as she put Shae behind her back, and had been prepared to draw her weapon. Turns out, it had been the ship's Captain.

"Now, now, there's no threat here." The Captain reassured her, "I just want to chat."

Blake took her hand away from her weapon and Shae emerged from behind her back, "... And why is that?"

The Captain replied as he leaned on the railing, "Well… Not many people travel by themselves. It can be quite lonely on a voyage, even if it's just two people. But I found those that do… Tend to have interesting stories."

Blake looked away from the Captain as she moved from her sister, "... Sometimes it's jut better for some people to be alone."

"Sis…" Shae said with worry.

Blake jumped as she went to protect her sister again as she became alert; a couple of children passed them by, making Shae look to her awkwardly.

The Captain laughed, "Maybe, but with your paranoia, I think a few friendly faces wouldn't hurt."

"Who says I'm being paranoid!?" Blake said angrily.

"You did, just now." Shae pointed out.

"Shae!" She exclaimed as her face turned red.

The Captain laughed again, "Well, it's nice to see your little sister has a sense of humor. I'll leave you two be."

With that the Captain proceeded off deck, but took a moment to turn back to the siblings, "But uh, fair warning, these trips can get awfully boring." Soon, he left the two be; Shae only sighed, "Well, that was a thing."

Shae went to turn to her sister, but noticed her remove her bow from her head.

"Won't be needing this…" Blake said before she let go of the bow, letting it flow in the breeze before gently hitting the water. She watched as it disappeared in the distance.

"Come on." She said turning to Shae, "Let's head inside for now."

Shae only nodded silently before they went off deck; neither of them seemed to noticed a hooded figure watching them from a distance.

* * *

-_**Patch**_-

The days had been slow for Yang, in the few months she had been back home. She didn't find herself as active as she used to, as she found herself doing the same thing. Sitting at the couch, or her room, eating dinner with her father and cousin, occasionally helping around the house, before sleeping in and repeating this routine the next day.

She did at a time was a thrill seeker, wanting nothing more than adventure.

But since Beacon… She had changed.

She didn't have her hair down loosely anymore, she instead had it tied back; she no longer had her smile, only one bland expression on her face. Her eyes looked cold and practically colorless, as they didn't look alive as they did anymore over the course of the few months.

She found herself sitting on the couch again, with a familiar corgi plushie on her lap, as she held it close. She looked to a stack of books on her right, but didn't bother to reach out to them. She instead turned to her left, and took the remote before switching on the television in the living room.

It hadn't been long before someone emerged from the kitchen; it had been a familiar girl with black hair with red streaks, and golden eyes, holding a tray of food.

It had been her cousin, Maize.

"Hi Yang." Maize said with a warm smile, "Hope your hungry, I made us some pizza."

Yang stayed silent as she looked to her, before turning her attention back to the TV.

"... Thanks." Yang said softly as she continued to flip through the channels, "... I'll eat in a bit."

Maize's eyes softened a little before she set the food on the table, taking her seat beside her. Maize decided to start up a conversation as she noticed the doll on her lap, "... That little corgi plush is cute… It kind of looks like Zwei doesn't it?"

Yang didn't say anything as she kept her eyes on the television as she flipped through one channel after another.

"...Ruby told me… That little girl got it for you." Maize said, "... Her name's Destiny right?"

"... She won it for me." Yang soon said, "After what happened in the festival… She wanted to cheer me up…"

"That's so sweet of her." She said with a smile, "What's she like?"

"... She's kind… and sweet… " She said, "... I didn't get a chance to thank her…"

Maize's gaze softened a little, though she soon gave a smile again, "... I'm sure wherever she is… She's alright."

"... I hope so too." Yang said.

She soon stopped on a certain channel, that featured Lisa Lavender; her eyes focused on this particular story.

"_... Multiple rumors continue to circulate as to who was behind the attacks at the Vytal Festival. While no one knows for sure, officials have confirmed that high-ranking White Fang member Adam Taurus was present at the attack. Any and all attempts to bring him into custody have been met with brutal force-_"

Yang shut off the television as she tossed the remote to the side. Maize noticed that Yang looked uneasy, after having heard of the news. She placed her hand on her shoulder as to comfort her as Yang let out a shaky breath.

The front door soon opened.

"I'm home!"

Maize and Yang both turned to the door, to see Tai standing there with a couple of boxes and various bags. "Hi dad." Yang said in her usual tone.

"Welcome back Uncle Tai!" Maize greeted with a smile, before she removed herself from the couch, "Let me help you with those bags."

"You're a lifesaver Maize, thank you." Tai said, handing off a couple of bags to her. She took the bags to the kitchen, as Tai turned to Yang, "Hey, Sunny Dragon! You'll never guess what came in today!"

Yang looked puzzled at this, "... What is it?"

"I can't wait for you to try this!" He said as he went to the kitchen.

After a few moments he brought back one of the boxes he had been holding, setting it in front of Yang just on the coffee table. Yang took notice that the box had Atlas's logo on it.

"It's… For me?" She said surprised.

"For you and you only." Tai replied.

Yang looked back to the box. Placing the corgi plush on the side, she proceeded to open it. Inside the box, revealed to be that of a silver arm. Her eyes widened in shock, yet, she looked more distressed than she did pleased.

"Wow…" Maize said as she came back into the room, noting what had been inside the box, "... I've never seen this model from Atlas before."

"It's pretty cool isn't it?" Tai said, "It's brand new state of the art Atlas tech! You know, I thought I was going to have to pull some strings, call in a few favors… But Yang earned this all on her own."

Yang looked to her father confused as did Maize. He soon explained, "Before I could even talk to him, General Ironwood already had one of his top scientists working on this for you. He wanted me to know that you fought admirable. You should be proud of yourself."

Yang sat back in the couch, as Maize took notice of the look on her face; she looked to her cousin with worry.

"Well?" Tai said, "Aren't you going to try it on?"

Yang soon answered, "... I'm… Not feeling to great at the moment… Maybe later…?"

Tai looked deflated at this as he ran his hand through his hair, "... Well… Alright."

Yang soon stood up from the couch, taking the small corgi plush with her. As she went up the stairs she looked to Tai, and Maize, "... Thanks you guys…" She soon disappeared up in her room, leaving her concerned father and cousin behind.

* * *

Blake found herself up on the deck once more with her younger sister, as they both looked upon the ocean. They admired the sunset over the horizon, as they both wished a moment like this could last forever. They both thought about their destination, as they had their own concerns about where exactly they were going.

"... What do you think they're going to say Blake?" Shae soon asked, "It's been so long since we've seen them, what do you think they're going to say?"

"... You mean our parents?" Blake said, "... Who knows. We won't know until we get there."

Shae only chuckled, "That's easy for you to say. It's not like I don't want to see them. I really do, but, you know how they can be… Especially father."

"Yeah…" She said, "It's going to be like we never left."

Shae had been about to say something else, when the top of her ear twitched, as did Blake's. They both turned around fast and saw a cloak man disappear on the second deck above them; Blake drew her weapon.

"**WHO'S THERE?!**" She yelled.

Neither of them had gotten an answer.

Before they could go after, whoever the cloaked figure had been, Blake and Shae nearly stumbled as the boat began to rock due to the enormous waves that seemed to have come out of nowhere. They managed to stay on their feet, and soon took notice of a great creature that arose from the very waters.

"**RED ALERT!**" They heard a crew member yell.

The alarms on the boat went off and the passengers started to run inside. The Captain and the rest of the crews ran out, to see the shadow that towered over them.

"By the Gods…" The Captain said.

The creature that emerged from the waters, was what many know as the Sea Feilong. It's eyes glowed a burning red, and it's body glowed a similar red pattern along it's bone like body. It let out a roar as it spread its forearms.

"**ALL HANDS TO BATTLESTATIONS!**" The Captain ordered to his crew.

"But sir, we've never fought a Grimm this big!" One of his crew members said.

"We've never seen something this big…" The Captain said, "... But we'll give 'er a fight nonetheless!"

On deck, Blake and Shae looked on towards the Sea Feilong. "That thing is huge!" Shae exclaimed.

"Shae! Get below!" Blake said, "I'll handle this!"

Blake soon took off running as Shae started to shout her name.

Arming herself with her Gambol Shroud, she leaped high into the air, using her semblance to help her gain the momentum needed, as she switched it to it's kusarigama form. She tossed it towards the Grimm, as the blade attached to its neck. She swung above the creature, and started to fire at it once she had gotten above.

The dragon let out a roar, as Blake distanced herself from the creature, landing on the crow's nest. The Captain steered the ship towards the beast, turning the boat to its side as a set of cannons emerged; it started to fire at the Sea Feilong, but it was quick to evade as it dove into the water.

She armed her sword and leaped towards it once more, though as she attacked it's face it didn't leave so much as a scratch. The canons proved to be useless as well as they kept on missing. Due to the blast from the cannons Blake ended up flying back as she landed on the ship.

"**SISTER!**" Shae shouted as she ran to her as she noticed she had trouble standing back up.

"Shae!?" Blake said surprised, "I thought I told you to get below deck!"

"No way!" Shae told her, "I'm not leaving you out here!"

They soon heard the Captain shout, "Hold steady men! It's not done with us yet! Get the Heavy cannons loaded!"

From the deck, they saw a pair of canons come out, and aimed it at the dragon. As it began to charge, they saw the Sea Feilong sprout a pair of wings; it soon took to the skies.

"**HEAVY CANNONS OPEN FIRE!**" The Captain yelled.

The cannons fired and it hit the Sea Feilong just as it took flight; it flew towards the ship as it started to form an electric ball in it's mouth.

"Crap!" Shae exclaimed, "If it hits the ship, we're dead!"

Just when Blake was about to take action, the cloaked person from earlier leaped onto her head and beat her to it.

"**THE HELL!?**" Shae exclaimed, seeing as how the man just jumped on top of her older sisters head.

The man threw away his cloak, and it revealed to be someone familiar behind it. He activated his semblance, and multiple clones of himself appeared, flying towards the dragon. Blake's eyes widenend at who it had been.

"**SUN!?**" She yelled with disbelief.

"**WHO!?**" Shae shouted.

Sun and his clones landed on top of the dragons head, and they gripped its topmost tendrils while he grabbed on its upper lip.

"**SORRY PAL!**" Sun yelled, "**NOT TODAY!**"

The Sea Feilong released it's attack and it missed the boat by several feet in the air.

"Do you know him Blake!?" Shae exclaimed.

Blake ignored her question as she shouted to Sun, "**WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE!?**"

"**OH YOU KNOW-!**" Sun yelled as he struggled to hang onto the dragon, as it tried to shake him off, "**-JUST HANGING OUT!**"

The Sea Feilong sent an electrical charge throughout its entire body shocking and Sun making him fall off his back.

"**HE'S FALLING!**" Shae yelled as she was panic.

"**I SEE THAT!**" Blake yelled back as she had been to quick to spring into action.

Her and Shae jumped off the boat as they flew high into the air. Switching her weapon to it's kusarigama form she let the blade latch onto a rock before she swung herself; her younger sister grabbed onto her ankle. She was able to catch Sun in mid-air and held him in her arms bridal style, while Shae landed on her feet beside them.

"My hero~" Sun said.

"**YOU'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO BE HERE!**" Blake yelled making him freeze up.

"Yeah?" He said, "Well it looks like you can use all the help you can get!"

Shae groaned, "Okay, I have no idea who he is, or why you know Monkey Boy, but he's right! You won't be able to take out that thing on your own! You need us!"

Blake sighed, as she rolled her eyes she dropped Sun to the floor, "Just shut up and fight!" She said, as she still had been angry with Sun.

"Sir, yes ma'am!" He said as he saluted.

Blake turned to her sister, "Do you have your weapons?"

"You kidding me?" She said, before she pulled out a pair of steampunked shotguns that had been around her waist, "I don't leave home without them!"

Blake nodded, before she said to her sister specifically, "Stay close to me!"

Blake, Sun and Shae soon ran along the rocky plains towards the ship, where the dragon was firing surges of electricity. The three of them took a leap high into the air, and landed onto the deck; they prepared to counter it's attack as it fired another surge of electricity towards them. Sun ended up jumping between the two as he used his weapons, Ryui Bang and Jingu Bang to deflect it; the attack landed on one of the heavy cannons that had been on the deck, breaking it instantly.

"And… There went one of the powerful weapons on the ship." Shae said awkwardly.

"Eh, nobody's perfect." Sun said with a shrug.

"Huntsmen!" They soon heard the Captain shout; They turned to him, "If you can clip it's wings, and draw it towards the bow, we could take it out!"

"Got it!" Shae said giving a thumbs up.

Blake turned away from the Captain and looked over to Sun.

"I mean…" Sun said, "... You're the one with the sword!"

She rolled her eyes and turned to Shae, "... Let's go."

Shae gave a nod, before they started to move again. Sun jumped high into the air making clones of himself with the help of his semblance. The clones along helped Blake and Shae flying into the air. Though Sun opened his arms to Blake, she ended up jumping to his head, while Shae jumped onto his back and leaped off of him.

They both soon dove towards the dragon as they readied themselves. Blake armed her sword, while Shae flipped her shotguns to a set of axes.

It fired electrical blasts at them though the siblings were too quick enough to dodge it's attacks as they towards it. They both ran along it's left wing and sliced through the membrane before the jumped off; the dragon let out a roar of agony.

While Shae landed on a rock tower nearby Sun had gotten below where Blake was going to land. He opened his arms wide before he caught her; he was now holding Blake in his arms bridal style.

"This is the part where you say it." He said with a smile, causing Blake to roll her eyes again

"**WATCH IT MONKEY BOY!**" Shae shouted, "**THAT'S MY SISTER YOUR TRYING TO FLIRT WITH!**"

"You never told me you had a sister." Sun said.

Blake had been about to answer, though the three of them nearly fell over when the rock formations started to break apart. Blake moved fast as she jumped from one rock formation to the next, as did Shae.

"**OKAY, YOU CAN FILL ME IN LATER!**" Sun yelled before he followed close behind them.

Shae soon armed herself as she began to fire from her weapons; each bullet had been laced with ice, in an attempt to slow the beast down. Despite this, the Grimm had been able to break free easily. With a whip of it's tail, the attack hit Shae breaking her aura instantly as she flew.

"**SHAE!**" Blake shouted

With the help of her Gambol Shrouds ribbon, she swung towards her sister as she had managed to catch her before she could land in the water below. "I totally meant to do that!" Shae said as she groaned.

"Oh good, you caught her!" Sun said with relief as he landed just above of them.

The moment didn't last however when they saw the Sea Feilong had been right in front of them; the three of them had equally been helpless as it began to charge it's attack. The boat soon rammed into the dragon's side, ceasing it's attack.

"**HEAVY CANNON OPEN FIRE!**" They heard the Captain yell.

The weapon soon fired, as it blew off the Sea Feilong's head, leaving behind it's lower half; the body began to disappear as the whole crew began to cheer. Blake and Shae couldn't help but sigh with relief while Sun cheered as well.

"Yeah!" He said before holding up his hand, "Up top!"

Shae only gave him an awkward look, while Blake turned to Sun and glared at him.

"Come on!" Sun said with a grin, "Don't leave me hanging!"

Blake only let out a cry as the next thing Sun knew, her hand met his cheek.

* * *

-_**Later that Night**_-

After everything had settled down and the Grimm's body disappeared, the boat was back on its course. Blake, Shae and Sun had been above deck, as they had been taking a breather after what they had just gone through.

While Blake filled Shae in on who Sun was, Sun himself had been busy looking after the passengers.

"Seriously, it's no big deal!" He said to a couple, "Just enjoy the rest of your trip and everything will be cool!"

With a wave the couple proceeded off the deck; he soon went over to Blake and Shae. "You'd think they've never seen a fight before."

"Right…" Shae said as she looked to him awkwardly.

"What are you doing here?!" Blake asked as she still sounded angry.

Sun on the other hand ignored her completely, "Digging the new look by the way. Never did like that bow."

"Sun!" She practically yelled, annoyed at this point, "Have you been following us!? Following _**ME**_!?"

"Lady asked you a question." Shae said, as she was annoyed as Blake had been.

Sun soon let out a sigh before he started to explain, "... I saw you run off. The night Beacon tower fell… Once we landed in Vale, you made sure everyone was okay, and than you just took off without saying anything." He soon pointed over to Shae, "When I saw her… Your little sister apparently, meet up with you at the docks. Let's just say I had to come."

Shae noticed the look on Blake's face as she couldn't help but worry. Blake soon looked upon the ocean, "... You wouldn't understand why I had to leave…" She told him as Shae gave her a pat on the shoulder.

"No, I get it!" Sun said, "The moment you left, I knew _**EXACTLY**_ what you were going to do!"

Blake looked to him shocked, but relieved by this as she smiled to him. Although-

"You're gonna go on a rampage against the White Fang!"

-It wasn't the answer she wasn't expecting to hear.

As her smile fell from her face, Shae's jaw dropped slightly.

"**WHAT!?**" Blake and Shae exclaimed.

"You always felt like the White Fang was your fight!" Sun said, "They show up-Trash _**YOUR **_school-Hurt _**YOUR**_ friends! It makes perfect sense!"

"You think she's here because of-" Shae started to say before she scoffed, "-Can you believe this guy Blake?!"

"Yeah… I can't!" Blake said as she sounded angry again.

"Granted you've got your sister Sheila here to help you out, but there's no way I'm gonna let you have all the fun!" Sun said putting his arm around Shae, making her hiss a little, "You gotta have someone to watch your guy's back! Us Fanus have to stick together after all!"

Shae shook out of his grip as her pupils dilated, "First of all… I'm not Sheila! The name's Shae Belladonna!" She stated, "Second, what you said just now couldn't be more farther from the truth! You don't know anything about her! A thing about _**ME**_!"

"What are you talking abou-"

"Shae and I aren't going anywhere near the White Fang." Blake soon said, cutting Sun off, "... _**Not yet**_."

Sun looked shocked at this, "Seriously?"

"Well… Yeah." Shae added, "What? You'd think we're crazy enough to take on the White Fang after all that's happened?"

"... You were a part of the White Fang too?" He asked turning to her.

"_**WAS**_." Shae stated again, "... There's a difference."

"What did you do to piss them off?"

"Same thing that Blake did… I left."

Though he didn't quite get it, Sun nodded in understanding before he looked over to Blake, "So… If you guys aren't going to the White Fang… Why not sort things out with your team?"

"Like your one to talk!" Blake said, "Assuming that Neptune, Sage, and Scarlet aren't hiding below deck!"

Sun only scoffed at this, before he sat on the railing, "You'd really think I could get Neptune on the ocean? They flew back to Mistral! I told them I'd catch-up! It's not the first time I left them to take a boat!"

"You ditched your own team!?" Shae said surprised.

"Like I said, not my first time!" Sun said, before he asked, "Where are you guys going anyway?"

"_**... Home.**_" Blake replied, "To Menagerie."

"... We need to sort a lot of things out." Shae added.

Sun nodded in understanding again, before he said with a smile, "Welp, looks I'm tagging along too!"

The two sisters couldn't help but give a quizzical look. "Why?" Blake asked.

"Hey, you saw how the Grimm are!" Sun said, "Ever since what happened, they've been getting worse out here. And just because you and your sister aren't going after the White Fang, doesn't mean that they'll be coming after you both."

"Huh…" Shae said, as she scratched her ears a little, "... You do make a good point."

"Exactly!" He said before stating awkwardly, "... That and I'm kind of already on the boat."

Blake looked amused at this, "... There's really no stopping you?"

"Nope!" He said, giving a peace sign, "This is going to be great! I've never been to Menagerie before! It'll be like a regular journey to the East!... Yeah! I like the sound of that."

"Great…" Shae said with a groan, "... We're gonna have to deal with this, the whole ride over… Just kill me now why don't you?"

Sun gave her a pat on the head, making her pupils dilate again, "Don't be like that, you know you love me!"

"**NO TOUCHY THE EARS!**" Shae shouted as she hissed again.

Blake couldn't help but chuckle at this, as she looked onto the horizon again. Placing her hand on her wrist where the beaded bracelet had been she had a look of solemn.

"_**... Destiny… Cristal… Ruby… Weiss… Yang… I'm sorry...**_"

(_**Ending Theme: The Promised Neverland Ending 1-Zettai Zetsumei Performed By Co shu Nie**_)


	5. Chapter 3 Epilogue: The Lemon Stand

-_**Three Years Ago; Vale, Downtown Area**_-

Cristal didn't how she let herself get talked into this situation. She was just hoping to have a nice breakfast with her darling little sister, like she did almost every morning, and now here she was. Helping her sister set up a stand made of wood, painting a sign in all for freshly made lemonade they both squeezed and mixed with their own two hands.

"Princess?" Cristal said wiping the sweat off her forehead, "Are you sure this is a good idea?"

"I don't hear you saying a better one Cristal." Destiny rebuttal as she finished up the sign; Cristal helped her to hang it since she was having trouble, "Besides, we want to help dad in paying for everything, what better way to do that than to sell cold drinks on a hot summer day?"

Cristal couldn't help but chuckle, "I never pegged as one that likes to break the rules. Bad enough that we snuck out of the apartment, but we didn't even tell big sister that we were going outside."

"Guess I must've learned from watching you." The little one said with a smile.

Her older sister only looked amused at this as she gave a a smug look to her, "Oh, how dare you."

They soon set out the cups and pitcher and both backed up to look at their handiwork. Though the stand had been sloppily made, they were both satisfied with their work.

"Not that I'm one to toot my own horn but…" Cristal said with a smile, "... But this came out nice. Makes me want to buy one of our own lemonades now."

Destiny soon noticed a group of kids in the distance; they looked to be about her own age, "Here comes a couple of customers!"

"Alright, just like we practiced!" Cristal told her.

Destiny nodded before she retreated behind the wooden stand; she placed her brown bag just by her feet as she hid the IV tube with the help of a lightweight lavender poncho before sitting on a stool provide.

Cristal soon took a cup from the stand, and stood tall; she cleared her throat.

"Lemonade!" She said professionally as she showed off the cup, "Get your freshly made lemonade! Only 5 lien for one cup! Come get your freshly made lemonade!"

Just like that, the customers came reeling in, like that of bees attracted to sugar. The kids came in, handing their money to Cristal while Destiny was more than happy to pour them a cup. They had gotten more money than they expected, and more people came by to have a drink; eventually the pitchers that they had available had all been empty.

By the time it was, it had already been the afternoon. They had already taken down their wooden stand, and folded the sign as neatly as they could before they started to head home.

Cristal had pulling on a wagon filled with their supplies while Destiny walked beside her as she had been looking over the amount they had, within a brown pouch.

"I may not be good at math, but I think this is going to help dad a lot!" Destiny said with a smile.

"No kidding, it's more than enough!" Cristal said, "This was a good idea after all! Wait till he sees our haul! And hey… If we have some left over, maybe we can upgrade our TV to one of those holo-ones."

"But aren't those really expensive?"

"I mean, yeah granted, we're gonna have to make a lot of cutbacks, but we could get one! It'll make fright-night all the more fun, don't you think?"

"... Well, when you put it like that, it would be a good idea."

"See? Now you're speaking my language!"

Destiny only giggled as she hugged her sister.

Though as they were nearing back to the apartment, Cristal soon took notice that the air around her felt different; her body started to tense up a bit as she gripped the wagon a bit too tightly; Destiny soon took notice of this.

"Cristal?" Destiny said, as she started to sound a little scared.

Just than, voices unfamiliar to them, came over their shoulders.

"Hey you, girly!"

Cristal looked over in the direction of the voices, and saw a man wearing clothing looking a bit torn and a beanie hat as he looked to have a knife in his hand. Another man seemed to have appeared in front of them, holding a weapon of his own.

"Hand over the cash, or this goes through you!" The man said.

"Cri-Cristal-" Destiny stammered as her body trembled.

"Hey! You heard 'em didn't you brat!?" The second man said, "Hand over the cash! Now!"

Destiny let out a squeak at the man's tone of voice as she tightened her grip on her sister. Cristal's body trembled but only a little; she managed to pry herself away from her.

"Princess…" Cristal soon said, "... Stay back, I'll take care of this."

"You're really thinking about fighting us?" The man said.

"You're the ones that are making the mistake from stealing from us." Cristal said, "I'll teach you a thing or too."

The men chuckled as Destiny cowered from the men, that held their weapons to them. For awhile there was nothing but silence between them as Cristal had herself ready to fight. She had a bit of a smirk on her face as she gestured the men to come at her.

"**END HER!**" The man shouted.

Thus they attacked with Cristal going at them.

She managed to duck from her attackers, barely managing to dodge their blades before she launched a counter. She kicked her first attacker before she punched the other across his face making him stumble and fall in the garbage just behind him.

The first man that challenged her, came at her with his blade, letting out a war cry; he attempted to pierce her arm at least, though Cristal acted fast. She was quick to grab a hold of the man's arm and flipped him over disarming him in the process. The second man recovered and grabbed Cristal from behind, attempting to pin her; she managed to move herself from her enemy, hitting him in the face with the back of her head, before she kicked herself from him.

She spun herself around giving him a kick to the stomach making him fly back and hitting the ground hard.

Finally, she used this as an opportunity to catch her breath, as she stretched. She turned over to Destiny.

"See Princess? Nothing to worry about." Cristal said with a smile.

Destiny's eyes soon widened, "**CRISTAL! LOOK OUT!**"

_**THWACK!**_

Cristal felt something heavy hit her hard, making her fall face first into the ground. She tried to get back up, but found herself being restricted as she felt the man's boot press onto her back, keeping her pinned.

"What was that about teaching us a lesson you dumb bitch?" The man said before he kicked her, causing her to cough out blood.

"Cristal!" Destiny exclaimed out of worry. Without even thinking, she charged at the man, currently pinning Cristal. She tried to push him off of her, "Please! Stop!" She begged, "Just let her go!"

"**STAY OUT OF THIS BRAT!**" His comrade shouted.

He threw his fist at the child, causing her to fly back; she cried out as she hit the ground. Cristal's eyes widened at this as her body soon shook with anger. The man that attacked her sister soon towered over her, and grabbed her roughly by the hair, making her cry out.

"This is what happens when you decide to play hero!" The second thug said as he was ready to hit the already crying child.

At this Cristal felt something in her snap; her eye glowed a dim red glow as an insignia of a red eye appeared on her forehead. She growled as she clenched her hand into a fist; faint red marks began to appear as Cristal made an effort to pick herself up off the ground.

Though as quick as her anger came, it had disappeared when she felt the weight come off her back. The man holding her down let out a grunt while the other let out a surprised scream, as Destiny had been dropped to the ground.

Cristal turned on her stomach as she noticed a pair of white boots in front of her. She glanced upward only confirming her suspicions, when she saw that familiar pink and brown swirl.

It was Neo, and she didn't look happy at all.

"Big Sis?" Cristal and Destiny said surprised.

The two thugs got up off the ground as they glared daggers at Neo. "Bitch what do you think your-!?"

Neo cut them off as she held her blade to the man's neck making him sweat. Neo only gave a smile as she wagged her finger in a taunting way and clicked her tongue. At this the thugs ran with tails between their legs, and Neo drew back her blade.

She let out a sigh as she helped Destiny up off the ground, brushing the dirt off of her; her eyes softened when she saw a bruise on her cheek.

Destiny was about to say something though Neo motioned her not to. She soon approached Cristal and helped her, performing the same gesture as she had done with the child. Though when she was done with her, she looked to the young teen sternly.

Cristal groaned as she rolled her eyes, "... We're in trouble, aren't we?"

All Neo did was nod in reply.


	6. Chapter 4: Trinity

-_**Sometime Ago**_-

_Only a few days had passed since the truce between teams RNJR and the newly named CRMS were starting to get to know each other. Most of their conversations had been about their travels, and their time at Beacon before the unfortunate events. Melody, Scout were more than willing to share their likes and dislikes. Though as for personal things, Melody and Rosario were unwilling to share. _

_Scout on the other hand had been open to this sort of idea. _

_Ruby was happy that everyone was getting along so well; she was especially happy to see Melody's smiling again like the good old days she remembered in Patch._

_Though a certain someone wasn't joining in on the conversation. _

_On this day, she noticed Roman acting more different than usual. _

_He had a certain look in his eye as he trailed behind the group. Not only that, over the course of a few days, he avoided all conversation, even with Cristal which had been surprising. Though it wasn't like he forced her away; she noticed that she gave her space, and didn't bother to try to interact with him or ask what was wrong. _

_She couldn't help but find it odd. _

_The group soon decided to take a break as they set up a small picnic near a meadow field, and just beside a river, where Frosty and Senka played. _

_They only made simple sandwiches with the supplies they had. The group continued to chat with one another, as Scout had been telling them about her home. _

"_No way!" Ruby said, "Your dad is a retired Huntsman?" _

"_Yup." Scout replied with a smile, "He has been since he found me. I live in a small town along with my mother, just on the north of Anima. Him and my mother taught me all that I know about combat and medical expertise. Pretty good combo, don't you think?" _

"_I'll say!" Nora said with a smile. _

"_You mentioned before that you were adopted." Jaune said, "Do you have an idea on who your real parents are?" _

_Scout nodded, "My real parents were a part of a bandit tribe. My father was a part of the team that drove them away before the Grimm came. They… Left me behind in the scuffle. If it wasn't for my father and mother, I wouldn't be here." _

"_Well, it's comforting to know that they're still good people out in the world." Ren said with a smile. _

"_Yeah, that there is." Scout replied. _

"_What about you Rosario?" Jaune asked turning to her, "What were you doing before all of this?" _

"_Eh, I was mostly scraping around to get by." Rosario said as she rubbed her neck a little, "Got involved with questionable groups, but eventually turned to bounty hunting. Was the only thing I was good at, and it was a decent way to put food on the table. Been traveling through the Kingdoms since, before I found myself back in Anima again." _

"_Ooo! Interesting!" Nora said before looking over to Melody, "How about you? What brings you out to these parts?!" _

_Melody had been hesitant to answer as she gave a concerned look in Ruby's direction, which Ruby herself didn't seem to notice at first. After a moment of regaining herself, she gave her answer, "... I made a promise to Yang, and my sister before I left home. It's one I don't intend to break anytime soon. That's all there is to it." _

_Ruby took notice of the sound of her voice; she was about to say something when she had been interrupted by Jaune. _

"_And you guys, didn't even attend one of the other academies?" He said. _

"_Nope." Melody, Rosario, and Scout replied. _

"_Well…" Melody soon added, "... Technically I attended Signal Academy before I left home. Other than that, I learned how to fight on my own; with the help of dad's and uncle Tai's training." _

"_**UNCLE QROW RULES!**_" _Ruby cheered, making the group jump suddenly. At this Ruby blushed with embarrassment, "Oh, sorry! I got a little excited there! Uncle Qrow is still the best." _

_Melody couldn't help but chuckle, "I'm really glad to see you haven't changed." _

_Ruby smiled back at her cousin as she couldn't help but laugh too. _

"_Welp, hope you all got room, because I packed us some pancakes~!" Nora exclaimed with a smile. She rummaged through her bag, before she pulled out a whole plate of freshly baked pancakes, leaving everyone shocked. _

"_... How… Does that even work?" Rosario questioned. _

"_It's just Nora." Jaune and Ren replied. _

"_Eh, what the hell…" Cristal said with a shrug, "Pass those suckers over here!" _

"_You got it!" Nora said holding her thumbs up, before she tossed a plate over in her direction. She soon handed out a plate of pancakes over to the rest as they happily ate the homemade cakes and syrup. As Ruby got her plate she looked over in Roman's direction, as he had been leaning against a tree nearby, taking a puff from his cigar. _

"_Hey Roman?" Ruby said, holding her plate of pancakes, "You wanna eat some with us?" _

_Roman looked over to her, "I'm good Red." He replied as he pushed himself up off the tree, "I think I'm gonna take a stroll. I won't be long." Taking his weapon, he walked past the group and along the stream; Ruby only looked more worried at this as she looked to the floor. _

"_Don't mind him Ruby." Cristal said as she nudged her a little, "He's just… Having one his phases. Destiny and I have seen it before." _

"_Phases?" Ruby asked curiously as she took her seat again. _

"_He does this every year whenever this day in particular comes around." Cristal soon continued, "Dad and I have our own way of coping with it." _

"_... What… Day is today?" Ruby asked hesitantly. _

_Cristal stayed silent at this as she ate her pancake; her look changed as she looked to be sad about something. "Cristal…" Ruby said, "... I know things are awkward between Roman and I… Especially since we were at each other's throats before all of this, but… I want to be able to help him, however I can. And… I'm here if you need to talk." _

_Cristal clenched her hand, as Ruby noticed it had been shaking a little. When she didn't answer at first, Ruby looked defeated. Just as she went about her business-_

"_Today's the day…" Cristal finally began making Ruby freeze, "... __**My mother passed on**__._"

* * *

(_**Opening Theme: RWBY V4 Opening Theme-Let's Just Live Performed By Casey Lee Williams**_)

-_**Present; Somewhere in Remnant**_-

Within the council chamber, of Salem's castle, Cinder sat at her side as she appeared to be in agony. Emerald and Mercury stood close by in case she needed them. Salem on the other hand, looked to be observing her.

"Do you feel it?" She rhetorically asked, "Don't fight it girl. It can sense your trepidation… You must make _**IT**_ dread _**YOU**_."

From outside of the room, their attention was drawn to the sound of clicking. What had approached appeared to be that of Grimm, though it wasn't like the rest. It looked to have a body of a jellyfish with a set of red tentacles and looked to have a set of blades on each one. An ominous red glow, lit up within its sphere. Emerald and Mercury looked terrified at the creatures presence as it soon approached Salem.

The Grimm, only known as the Seer approached Salem.

She turned over to Cinder after looking into the orb.

"Cinder…" She said, "... I'm going to ask you this one more time… And I expect you to answer me clearly… _**Did you kill Ozpin?**_"

Cinder looked away from Salem; How can she expect her to answer her in such a state? She turned to Emerald and signaled her to come over.

"**NO!**" Salem shouted as she slammed her hands on the table, making everyone in the room flinch at the sound. Emerald returned to her previous position while Cinder looked to her.

"I want to hear, _**YOU**_ say it." Salem merely stated.

With effort, Cinder moved her lips, before she let out an answer that sounded hoarse. "... Yes."

There was a moment of silence between them; Salem sat back in her seat before turning to the Seer.

"Search for the Sisters, and reinforce our numbers at Beacon… _**The Relic is there**_."

The Seer soon glided out of the room, drawing Emerald and Mercury further away as it passed them by. Salem had a thought come over her head as she turned her gaze to the window.

"... What are you planning?"

* * *

-_**Somewhere In Anima**_-

RNJR, CRMS along with Roman and their animal companions Frosty and Senka walked along the pathway trying to get to the next town ahead of them. She held the map in her hands as she tried to make sense of it.

"Alright guys-" She began to say, "-If we pick up the pace we can get over to the next town before sundown!"

"Assuming that it's still there." Jaune said sounding down.

"Of course it will be." Cristal said, "This ones supposed to be better than the other towns we've been to."

"She's right, so don't look so down!" Melody said hitting him on the shoulder, "Well, let's hear it cous, what's the next towns name?"

"Hmm, let me see…" Ruby said, before she started to read it aloud, doing her best to pronounce it, "... Higa-Um-Bane-ra?"

Roman leaned over her shoulder and saw the name on the map. "Red… That says Higabana." He told her.

"I knew that!" She immediately said.

"Hmm, I don't think I've been to that town before on my travels." Rosario said, "Anyone know what we can expect?"

"From what I understand it's supposed to be a well protected village with a popular inn." Ren soon said.

"Which means… No more camping out in the rain!" Nora said with a smile.

"Though I do like camping, it's nice to take a break from it all." Scout said, "Even if it is only for a night."

"Who knows?" Melody said, "Maybe the place has a hot spring. I've always wanted to try one."

"See Jaune?" Ruby said, "Everything's gonna be fine!"

"I guess." Jaune said with a shrug, "I mean it could've been worse. I honestly thought we would see more Grimm out here you know." Senka let out a growl, looking in Jaunes direction; he couldn't help but flinch.

"Well, uh-Other than you of course!" He soon added awkwardly.

"Senka come on!" Cristal said tapping him on the beak, "Don't be like that, you know Jaune means well!"

"Speaking of…" Ren soon said, "... We can't exactly walk through Higanbana with Senka. It would be very hard to explain that he's not gonna hurt anyone."

"Yeah, I'm with the ninja on this one." Rosario said, "Anyone got any ideas?"

"I do have one." Cristal said.

She walked in front of Senka, holding her hand up to stop him. "Listen buddy, I need you to do me a favor." Cristal said putting her hand on his beak, "Fly to the other side of town. Find a place where no one will see you and stay there until you see me or I call for you."

Cristal's eye glowed only for a moment before the color faded again; Senka's eyes changed to the color gold, before it returned to the white color. He soon spread his wings before taking flight, as he flew ahead of the group.

"There." Cristal said with a smile, "Now we won't have any problems."

"Well… We still have the one…" Nora soon stated awkwardly.

The whole group slowly turned to Roman, as Roman himself looked to them while raising an eyebrow. "What?" He said, "You expect me to sprout a set of wings too?"

"Ridiculous idea buddy." Melody said, "Though we do need to come up with something. I mean, I know you turned a new leaf in all, but others may still have it out for you after all that's happened."

"You do make a good point." Scout added.

"Relax, it's fine." Roman said, "You can take Cristal to the inn, I'll camp outside and meet you up on the other side of town."

The group couldn't help but give a concerned look at this. "Are you sure that's a good idea?" Cristal asked concerned, "There's going to be a storm tonight."

"Yeah, you might catch a cold." Ruby said expressing the same concern.

"I appreciate you wanting me to tag along, but I'm not one to get sick so easily." Roman said, before looking to his daughter, "You of all people should know that by now Little Gem."

"Even so, some of the Grimm out here will be more active at night." Scout said, "It'll be dangerous even if you are capable of fighting them."

"Better that you're with us, than out here alone." Ren said.

Roman let out a sigh as he rolled his eyes, "Okay, what do you suggest I do?"

"I'd say we change your look." Rosario said after glancing at his outfit, "You're basically painting a target on your back if you're gonna go into town looking like that."

Roman looked insulted by this, "I'm trying to grow a beard here!"

"Emphasis on trying!" Rosario couldn't help but exclaim.

"Oh, I can help out with the outfit!" Scout said, "Thanks to mother I'm an expert in sewing!"

"Can I choose what he wears, or style his hair!?" Nora said excitedly.

"Whoa-Whoa, hang on a minute!" Roman said, "I'm not big on the whole dress up thing!"

"You're gonna have to suck it up, it's the only way your going to stay safe." Ruby said as she nudged him.

"And it's the only thing we can do right now." Jaune said.

Roman had been about to retort, but saw the look on the groups faces, or more particularly, Ruby and Cristal as they gave him a pleading look. He soon let out a groan, as he slumped over a little, "Alright fine… Just don't make me look ridiculous."

"**YAY! MAKEOVER TIME!**" Nora exclaimed, breaking out a makeup kit, and hooking her arm with Roman's. Scout ultimately did the same thing as she broke out the sewing kit, "This is going to be so fun!"

"Yeah!" Nora cheered, "Our luck is finally starting to turn around!" She soon held her fist in the air, as she soon shouted to the sky, "**TO HIGANBANA!**"

Everyone (Excluding Roman) soon let out the same cheer however-

"**TO HIGABANA!**"

"**TO HIGANBA-!**"

-Ruby nearly pronounced it wrong again as the group gave her that same awkward look. Ruby laughed nervously before she finished, "**-BANA!**" They gave her a funny look, which made her blush with embarrassment. Folding up the map as best as she could, she started to walk ahead at a fast pace.

Just as the group went ahead, Melody noticed something out of the corner of her eye…

She turned to look behind her as she couldn't help but give a curious look; her gaze soon looked towards the cliff.

"Melody!" Scout soon called out, making her flinch, "Come on, or you'll be left behind!"

"Kay…" Melody said softly as she looked to the cliff again.

She soon shook her head, "... I must be imagining things."

Thus, she caught with the rest of the group.

Up on the clifftop, a Beowolf, stood, baring teeth and ready to pounce on the unsuspected. Before it could a blade pierced it's chest, killing it instantly; it's body disappeared. Qrow threw his blade over his shoulder as he looked to the group; a single raven flew from a tree as it let out a screech.

He soon scoffed, "... Luck."

* * *

"_Yang!"_

_Yang found herself standing in the middle of the courtyard of Beacon. Everything looked like the way it was when she and her sister first arrived at Beacon. She looked down and saw that her arm was back, which left her confused and shocked, as she felt her own flesh. However she soon discarded the thought when she heard a familiar voice. _

"_Yang! Over here!" _

_She looked up and saw a familiar girl with magenta and orange hair, wearing an eyepatch waving to her. She looked at her, with eyes wide. _

"_... Destiny?" _

_The child laughed with a warm smile on her face. She turned from her and started to run in the opposite direction of her. _

"_Hey! Wait!" _

_She started to run after her, going through the school grounds. Everytime she thought she lost her, she always heard her familiar laugh; as she would turn in her direction, she would disappear once more. _

"_Dessie! Stop! Where are you going!?" _

_She soon caught sight of Destiny near the cafeteria building; she entered through the large double doors as she laughed once more. Yang ran towards the building and through the doors herself. When she did, she realized she had entered a different reality entirely. _

_The world around her, though once lively changed into an eerie red; flames surrounded the entire building, as the Grimm could be heard in the distance. It had been the spitting image of what happened all those months ago. Yang looked to be in shock at this, though she started to look around. _

"_Destiny!" She called out, "Destiny, where are you!?"_

_As she had gotten further into the building, she soon had been paralyzed with fear. There up ahead, she saw the man who took away her arm. _

_**Adam Tarrus.**_

_His hair and mask, glowed red, much like the eyes of Grimm. He was walking towards her, with his sword in hand. Yang was taken back when she saw her weapons on her; out of fear she started to fire at Adam as she moved back. The bullets seemingly went through Adam; he didn't even bare a reaction. _

_She went to fire again, only to find that her Ember Celicas were no longer there. Instead she had been back to her condition. _

_She felt helpless in that moment, as she continued to back away from Adam; until she felt her back hit something. She jumped at the sight of Destiny, covered in a black substance of some sort. Her eyes bared no reflection, and her body looked pale. _

"_How could you?" _

_Yang turned and jumped at the sight of Cristal, looking to be in the same state as her sister, though the only difference had been, was her body had been twitching as she moved. _

"_You said you would protect us… You said you'd have our backs… You promised… And look what's happened…" _

_Yang was about to say something, however she jumped at the sight of Adam. He held his sword high and-_

* * *

"Yang! Wake up!"

Yang's eyes shot open as she found herself back in her room; Maize looked down on her as she gave a worried look in her eyes. She sat herself up as she looked to the dresser where the corgi plush and her Ember Celica.

"Are you okay?" Maize asked concerned.

"Ye-yeah." Yang replied, "I'm alright. Just had a nightmare."

"Are you sure you're alright?" Maize asked worryingly, "You looked like you were in pain."

Yang only gave her a reassuring smile and nodded; though despite this Maize could see right through her, as she noticed the look in her eyes. She still had that look of pain… She knew was too familiar with.

"Yang…" Maize started to say, "I-"

Maize had been interrupted when she and Yang heard voices and laughter downstairs. The two of them looked to one another before they decided to check it out. They descended down the stairs as they realized that it had been coming from the kitchen area.

When they peeked inside, Yang saw two people she had been very familiar with; that had been Professor Port and Doctor Oobleck, her teachers.

"And then, in comes Qrow-Wearing a skirt!" Port said, "I was just a TA than! I didn't know what to do, so I just left the room to laugh!"

Taiyang, and Oobleck bursted out laughing at this, while Maize and Yang looked to each other; both of them giving each other a raised eyebrow.

"We told him it was a kilt!" Taiyang said, "He never wore a uniform before so he had no idea!"

"That is terrible!" Oobleck said with a smile, "What is wrong with you!?"

"Hey!" Taiyang said, "All the girls said he had nice legs! I did that jerk a favor! Besides, that's not even the best part, then we-"

Port cut him off as he placed his leg on the table.

"Like what you see?" He said as he was pretending to be Qrow.

The three of them burst out laughing, though not before Port lost his footing and fell onto the ground hard. Though Taiyang and Oobleck ended up laughing even harder at this sort of thing; even Port began to laugh along with them.

Yang and Maize couldn't help but feel compelled, as they finally laughed, drawing their attention. Port quickly scrambled up off the floor, while Oobleck stood up from his seat.

"Miss Xiao Long!" Port said awkwardly as he fixed himself, "Good evening!"

"It is uh-Very good to see you!" Oobleck said.

"Good to see you guys too." Yang said as she stepped inside.

Maize soon followed as she waved, "Hello there. You must be my cousins teachers. Thank you for looking after her and Ruby."

"Oh please, there's nothing to it!" Port said, "Though I must say, it's a pleasure to finally be introduced to one of Qrow's daughters! Very good to meet you Miss…?"

"Maize." She said as she bowed, "Maize Clementine Branwen. It's a pleasure."

"It's a pleasure as well!" Oobleck said, "Why don't you and Yang join us? Pull up a chair!"

"I'm good." Yang said, as she sat herself up on the kitchen counter.

"Same with me." Maize said, as she leaned against the counter, at Yang's side, "I prefer to stand anyway."

"What are you guys doing here?" Yang soon asked.

"Well, despite popular belief, teachers do have a life outside of the classroom." Oobleck replied as he sat back down along with Port.

"Professor Goodwitch is working around the clock to restore Beacon to its former glory!" Port added, "But… Mistral wasn't built in a day. And we all need a rest from time to time."

"Hey, let's not worry about that." Taiyang soon said, before he continued his story, "So-There we were, standing in the auditorium, looking at Qrow-Wearing a skirt! Then, Oz tells everyone, 'It's time to work on our landing strategies!'"

Everyone, including Yang and Maize gave a laugh at the mere thought of this, before they caught their breath.

"The Branwen Twins have always been… Interesting to say the least." Oobleck commented, with Yang and Maize slightly flinching at the mention of this.

"That didn't seem to stop young Tai!" Port said as he wiggled his eyebrows.

"You guys, they're right here." Taiyang said, motioning to the two girls.

"Oh please!" Port said, "They're mature young ladies! If Miss Xiao Long and Miss Branwen can handle themselves in combat, than they can handle a few jabs from her old man and uncle!"

"That's not the issue Pete." Taiyang stated, "And besides, they're also teenagers."

Maize couldn't help but feel hurt at this, "... Hey Uncle Tai… Ouch."

"They're also in the room and can be directly spoken too." Yang stated, as she jumped down from the counter, "And _I _think I've been through enough to be considered an adult at this point."

Taiyang sighed, "Whether you and Maize are an adult or not, you two still got a lot to learn before you're ready for the real world."

Yang rolled her eyes at this remark, "Oh my gosh! Does every father figure have the same three condescending phrases?!"

"Yeah! But we only use them when we _**REALLY**_ mean it!"

"Is that so?!"

"As a matter of fact, it is so!"

"Yang, Uncle Tai please…" Maize said stepping between them, "... Not now, we have guests."

"Hang on hon, let me finish." Taiyang said before he turned back to Yang, "If you honestly think you're ready to go out there on your own… Than I guess you lost some of your brain cells along with that arm."

The room grew silent as Yang let out a gasp, while Maize, Oobleck and Port had been left speechless at this sort of thing. The only sound heard within, had been Oobleck's cup, dropping onto the table. Maize looked over to Yang, worried that she was going to get mad, though was surprised when she playfully punched him.

"You jerk!" She said with a laugh, as Taiyang started to laugh along with her.

Maize cleared her throat, "Just to check… Are we finally going to address the Goliath in the room?"

Taiyang and Yang looked to one another before they started to laugh again; Maize saw that Yang had gave a genuine real smile which couldn't help but put a smile on her face as well. Though that soon came to an end.

"Miss Xiao Lo-I mean Yang." Port began to say, "If you don't mind me asking… Why haven't you tried your new arm yet?"

"Ah, yes, yes!" Oobleck said, "A piece of Atlas Technology given out like that is rare indeed! Not to mention the effort it took to deliver it here. It seems a great many people want you to return to normal."

Yang's expression changed, as she looked to her father and cousin, before she let out a sigh of her own.

Finally, she spoke, "... I'm… **Scared**. Everyone keeps talking about me getting back to normal. But… This is normal now… It's just taking me time to get used to it."

"Yang…" Maize said worryingly.

"... You know…" Taiyang soon started to say, "Normal… Is what you make of it."

Yang looked to him with a confused expression on her face. "What does that mean?" She asked, "Do you want me to just pretend like nothing's happened? I lost a part of me! A piece of me is gone! And it's never coming back!"

"... You're right… It's never coming back." Taiyang stated calmly, "... But that doesn't have to stop you from becoming you want to be. You're Yang Xiao Long… My Sunny Little Dragon. You can do whatever you put your mind to. So… Whenever your ready to stop moping around and get back out there again… **I'll be there for you**."

"Same with me." Maize said stepping forward, "... Whether it'd be you or Ruby, my dad and sister, you can count on one thing. We're not just friends, we're family… No one gets left behind."

Yang only looked to her father and cousin, just shocked, as she wasn't sure what to say.

"I-I-" Yang started to say.

Port soon spoke up again, "Fear is like an emotion, it comes and goes as it pleases. It's all how you handle it. Why… Even I find myself wrestling with that emotion from time to time."

"Really? You?" Yang said, not really believing it herself.

"What are you afraid of?" Maize asked with a quizzical expression.

Oobleck soon leaned over and whispered, "... He's afraid of mice."

"**THEY ONLY BRING DISEASE AND FAMINE!**" Port yelled suddenly, making Yang and Maize laugh, "**AND DON'T EVEN GET ME STARTED ON THEIR TAILS! SO HAIRLESS AND SIMPLY UNNATURAL!**"

"Port I assure you… There's no mice here." Oobleck said nonchalantly.

After awhile, Yang and Maize headed back up stairs to call it a night. They both bid their farewells to Port and Oobleck and headed to their rooms. As Yang entered her room, she noticed her Ember Celica and the corgi plush that sat on the dresser, as she couldn't help but think back to their earlier conversation.

It wasn't long before she heard familiar voices outside. She went over to the window as to listen.

"Thanks again for having us over Tai." Port said.

"Anytime, you're always welcome." Taiyang said.

"It maybe awhile before we return." Oobleck said, "There's still much to be done on the school."

"...I… Hesitate to ask this but…" Port soon said, "...I understand that Miss Rose, and… Your niece has been away for sometime. Have you heard a word from either of them?"

Taiyang's expression softened at this as he gave his reply, "... Melody's messages and calls stopped coming after the CCT was destroyed… As for Ruby, I haven't heard anything from her yet."

"Have you thought about going after them?" Oobleck asked, "Try to bring them home?"

Taiyang sighed, "... I've got to… Look after some things."

Yang hid herself from the view of her window, as she took her arm as she held the look of dejection on her face. Maize soon peeked into the room, as she soon got her attention when she cleared her throat.

"Got a minute?" Maize asked Yang as she rubbed her elbow nervously.

Yang gave her a small reassuring smile as she nodded.

Maize took a deep breath, "About what I wanted to say before…" She said, "... I know you're scared right now… And I don't blame you for feeling that way. I never have. But if there's one thing I learned from my dad, it's that your never alone in anything you do. Uncle Tai and I meant what we said before, about being here for you. We can help each other. And… Just between us… If you won't do it for me, Melody, Uncle Tai, my father or even Ruby…" Maize soon took the plush that sat on the dresser and handed it over to Yang.

"Than do it for her…" Maize finished, "... For her family."

Yang took the plush from Maize as she looked to it. She soon held it close to her, as she only remained silent. Though Maize soon noticed a tear roll down her cheek.

* * *

-_**Somewhere in Anima**_-

"I hate you… I hate you all so much…"

As said before, they managed to put on a disguise for Roman. As luck would have it, Scout had extra sewing dust as well as other materials so it was pretty easy. They made him undo his hair and curl it up thanks to Nora and her curler and they kept his fedora was off.

His outfit had been a green coat with a set of brown khakis and dress shoes though it was all loose and baggy, not one that was in his style, and his hair had been dyed into yellow instead of his usual orange hair, and wore a baggy looking jacket.

Honestly… He didn't look happy.

Not one bit.

"Dad, it doesn't look that bad." Cristal said.

"Yeah, so don't be so modest!" Ruby added, "You actually look pretty cool blonde!"

"Good thing I had just enough to make you this outfit!" Scout said satisfied.

"I feel like a goddamn clown…" He said as his eyes twitched.

"Oh come on, curls suit you!" Nora said.

"At least this way you won't be recognized by anyone else." Ren said.

"Yeah, you look like a completely different person." Rosario added before she snickered a little.

Roman only managed to grumble annoyingly as he slouched. "Please tell me this stuff washes off with water…" He said as he looked to Scout and Nora.

"Of course!" Scout replied.

"Maybe…?" Nora said

At this, his eyebrow twitched as he glared.

It hadn't been long before they saw the clouds start to roll in; thunder and lighting could be heard in the distance. "Come on, we better get to the inn before it pours." Jaune said to the group.

"No need to tell me twice." Melody said.

The group picked up the pace as they made their way to Higanbana, eventually they had reached the inn as it started to rain like cats and dogs outside. Though most of them had gotten wet, since they were caught in the rain just as it started.

"Whoa, look at it come down!" Melody exclaimed, "Haven't seen a storm like this since that hurricane in Patch."

"Eh, I've seen worse." Rosario said with a shrug.

"Come on!" Ruby said, "Let's go check into a room!"

Just as they went to approach the front desk, Roman noticed something out of the corner of his eye. Across the way there had been a tarven and he saw a familiar man just sitting there alone at a table, motioning him to come over. Ruby and Cristal soon noticed Roman looking off.

"Hey? You okay?" Ruby asked.

"Hm?" Roman said snapping back to reality, "Oh, yeah, I'm alright. I'm gonna go grab a drink. I'll catch up with you later."

Cristal and Ruby looked to another both with a quizzical expression.

"Alright, just don't drink too much." Cristal told him, "I ain't gonna carry you to Mistral, and Senka won't either."

Roman only laughed sarcastically as he waved her off playfully and exited the inn. He used his coat to keep himself from getting soaked, (Well mostly) before he exited the inn. He entered the tarven, fixing up his jacket before he looked to the man at the table. A Huntsman, to be specific.

The father of Melody, and Ruby's Uncle… Qrow Branwen.

"Sup." Qrow greeted as he held his drink.

Roman only scoffed, not even returning the greeting, "... I did have a feeling that someone was following us for awhile. Didn't think it would be you."

Qrow gestured over to the seat across from him, "Care to join me for a sip?"

He noticed the tense look on his face, as Roman stepped back a little.

"Calm done, I ain't gonna turn you in." He reassured the former thief, "I just want to have a drink with you and talk. We didn't get a chance to in Vale since you got yourself separated."

Roman let out a sigh of defeat, as he sauntered over to the chair before taking a seat. A waitress soon approached the table. "Can I get you gentleman anything?" She asked with a smile.

"I'm covered." Qrow said holding his glass, before pointing over to Roman, "His drinks on me."

The waitress nodded before looking in his direction.

"Just get me some scotch if you have any." He said, "Make it a double."

"Coming right up handsome." The waitress said with a wink, before she went to get his drink.

"That's awfully nice of you." Roman said nonchalantly, "Even though I could've paid it myself."

"Consider it thanks for what you did in Vale." Qrow said sitting back, "Protecting my niece in all, and looking out for her after all this time. You know, instead of trying to kill her."

"You trying to go somewhere with this?" He asked.

Qrow gave his response, "... I'm happy that you and Cristal are back together again, and that's she's been helping you cope with that little girl still missing. Can't imagine how hard it must be for her though But… What I'm wondering is… What are you going to do? After all of this?"

Roman stayed silent at this, as his expression changed; he looked off to the side as he adjusted himself in his chair.

"... After all is set and done, and you find the kid you can't exactly go back to your original life."

"You don't think I know that?" Roman said harshly, "I know what I did. I know that I'm partially responsible for the Fall of Beacon, since I single handedly took out the Atlas fleet-Though let's be fair they got what was coming to them, I just can't go back to stealing lien from stores and banks in some part of Remnant!"

"Than, are you planning on running with them to some far off place?"

"Normally I would go that route, but… Destiny doesn't deserve that life and Cristal's seen enough of it. I made a promise years ago, and I'd rather not go back on their word now…" He soon raised his eyebrow, "... Why are you asking me this?"

The Waitress returned with Roman's drink, after thanking her he took a sip. Qrow soon gave his answer. "... I'm only asking because after what you got yourself involved in, I can tell you a few certain people won't consider you dad of the year."

Roman clenched his glass at this, making it crack, "... Are you threatening me right now? Is that what this is?"

"Who said I was?" He said, "All I'm saying is when this is all over, they're going to be consequences. I can tell from your reaction you don't want them to be taken away."

Roman gritted his teeth, "My daughters… They're the only thing I have left in this hell of a world. When Cinder took them from me, going as far as to attack them-" At this Roman stopped for a moment before he picked his sentence back up, "-They were apart from me, for two whol years… I'm glad to have Cristal back… But… It can never be complete… Not without Destiny. Without knowing where she is, or if she's even alive has been-Driving me insane. I'm still shocked that I haven't snapped yet."

"You could've avoided it all you know?" Qrow soon pointed out, "You could've gone to the authorities, or told Ironwood when he had you on his ship about what was happening. But you just chose to keep your mouth shut, and let it run its course."

He took another sip from his glass, giving a sigh, "I don't know if you noticed… But I'm not the biggest fan of law enforcement, even before I started to lie, cheat, and steal for a living. Atlas wasn't there for me. They never have been. They weren't there for me when I was a kid, and they certainly weren't there for me, when my wife and my friends were killed in cold blood!"

"I know you have a grudge about what happened to Trinity-I would too if I was in your position. But that doesn't mean you had to be involved in the fall of Beacon."

"I had no choice! Even if I could tell them, she threatened to take away the lives of my Gem and Princess if I so much as breathed one word about their plans!"

"People always have a choice. You just made the stupid one and got your kids involved in something dangerous."

"In case you haven't noticed, I've been involved since the day I met the only person I'll ever love! I tried to keep them from all of that, even after I found out they were born with magic!"

"I can see you did a bang up job with that."

This time Roman let out a growl of anger, as he couldn't help but slam his class onto the table, "Do you know the part where I just punch you several times in the face? We're coming up to that pretty soon."

Qrow soon ran his hand through his hair, as he gave a sigh, "Look… It's no secret that I've been tailing behind you. I can see how much you've changed, and how much you love your daughters. Right now… I'm prepared to offer you a choice, that's not a stupid mind you… If you care to listen."

At this, Roman gave him a quizzical look, "... What do you have in mind?"

"... You want them to have a normal life while they still can when this is all over right?" Qrow said, "My home island, Patch, can provide that for you. But to do that, I can make you disappear, to make it seem like you never existed in the first place."

"... You can really do that?"

"Don't underestimate what a Huntsman can do."

Roman couldn't help but look skeptical at this, "... Why would you want to do that for me?"

"Who knows?" The Huntsman replied with a shrug, "Maybe it's because your watching Ruby's back… Maybe it's what you're doing now, who knows? Just be thankful of what I'm offering you now. What do you say?"

Roman gave it some thought as he ran his hand through his hair; he gave out a sigh, "... It really is an offer I can't refuse… But if it's all the same to you. I'd like to focus on finding Destiny."

Qrow gave a nod, "... I understand. Just don't forget about our talk."

Roman nodded back before he stood up from his chair, "... I should get back to them, before one of them decides to come and fetch me." He went to exit the tarven, though before he did, he gave him a wave.

"Thanks for the drink… Have a good night."

And thus, he left the tavern leaving only Qrow at the table.

* * *

-_**Sometime Ago; Later that Night**_-

_The whole group traveled a bit before they found a well protected town in case the Grimm showed up. Tired from all the walking they had, they decided to rest up at the local inn. They each had their own separate rooms; one for RNJR and one for CRMS, with Roman having his own room. _

_After they filled their bellies, they turned in for the night. _

_Ruby however, didn't sleep right away, as she found herself reading a book she had packed for the journey; all while occasionally looking over to a notepad that sitting at her bedside, as she had a nervous look on her face. For a moment she picked up her pen and went to write on the paper; only to have hesitation before setting it down again as she sighed. _

"_... Why can't I think of anything…?" _

_She soon noticed a couple of people just outside of her window; Roman had been sitting on one benches provided as he had taken a puff from his cigar as he looked upon the koi-fish pond. Cristal had been outside with him, with Senka drinking from the pond, as she could see a concerning look on her face as she looked to her father. _

_Putting the book away, she proceeded outside as she put on her hood. Despite the fact she had her hood, she shivered from the cold. She approached Roman, lightly tapping him on the shoulder to get his attention; he jumped slightly at this but calmed down when he saw it was her. _

"_Don't scare me like that Red." He said, "Isn't it past your bedtime?" _

"_If you and I were still enemies, I would have whooped your butt at that remark." She said as she took her seat beside him, "Whatcha doing out here?" _

"_... Just looking at the fireflies." He replied, as he looked ahead, hypnotized at the sight of it. _

_Ruby looked ahead couldn't help but be in awe at the sight of it. Never before in her life had she seen so many fireflies in one place; it was almost as if the stars up in the sky decided to take a visit on Earth. A couple of fireflies landed on her hand, and one landed just on her head; her eyes practically sparkled. _

"_... Back where we used to live…" Roman started to say, "... I used to see this kind of thing all the time… WIth Cristal and Trinity…" _

_Ruby's gaze softened at this, at the mention of Cristal and Destiny's mother; she couldn't help but give a look of solemn in his direction. _

"_... I was hoping I could show Destiny this…" He admitted, "... When she's found anyway." _

_Finally Ruby spoke, "... Cristal… Told me about today… About why you looked so upset." _

_At this, Roman stayed silent, as he took another puff from his cigar. _

"_You know… It's okay to miss someone you love." Ruby said, "My dad's been like that too since my mom passed away. And even Yang's mom-" _

"_It's… Not that." Roman said cutting her off, "... I know it's okay, but it's not what I'm thinking about right now." _

_Ruby looked to him with confusion; it hadn't been long before he continued, this time, being a bit hesitant in doing so. _

"_Everytime this day comes and goes I find myself back in that scenario." He said, "... I keep thinking over again in my head on what I should've done, and things I should've done and if things changed. The day the Grimm invaded our town, I told Trinity to stay at home with our children… Look how well that turned out. Sometimes I wonder… If things had been different." _

_Ruby noticed his hands started to shake at the mere thought; she placed her hand over his, causing him to flinch. _

"_I… Understand how you feel about it." Ruby said, "I may have been a little girl when I lost my mom, I felt the same way. Even when… Pyrrha and Penny were both taken. Every scenario I thought about what would happen if my mom was saved, or if I did get to Pyrrha and Penny in time. But… I learned a long time ago, that you can't change what happened… What matters is what we do now." _

"_You say that, and yet I failed to protect her… I failed to protect them. I couldn't save my wife, and I was too much of a coward to save my own daughter." _

"_It's not your fault… You just made a mistake. My uncle Qrow told me that there's benefits to making mistakes… You can learn from them. It's okay to make them because that's what makes a person. You're not a horrible father and husband; you loved your wife and made her happy when she was alive, and you raised Cristal and Destiny all on your own. You can make things right for her… And you can make things right for Destiny, when she's found." _

_Roman finally looked to the young teen, before letting out a soft chuckle, "Well, look at me… I'm being comforted by a little kid. How the mighty have fallen." _

_Ruby only laughed, "I consider it to be an accomplishment at this point." She soon stood up from the bench, after letting out a yawn, "Welp, I think I'm gonna go and turn in! How about you?" _

"_I'll get some shut eye in a bit." He told her, "I'll just stay out here for a bit longer." _

_Ruby only nodded before she headed back towards the inn. Cristal had caught up with her, as Senka fell asleep on a fresh bed of grass, just by the pond. The two only smiled to one another in greeting, as they were beside each other. _

"_Thank you." Cristal mouthed to her. _

_Ruby gave a wink, before they proceeded back to their rooms. _

(_**Ending Theme: The Promised Neverland Ending 1-Zettai Zetsumei Performed By Co shu Nie**_)


	7. Chapter 5: Shadow of Doubt

-_**Three Years Ago; Vale's Apartment 3G**_-

_After Neo had found Cristal and Destiny on the streets, she was quick to bring them both back home. The first face they were met with when they stepped through the door, was that of their father. They could tell from the look on his face he wasn't at all happy. _

_Why wouldn't he be? They both snuck out. _

"_Dad, just let me explain!" Cristal said. _

"_Broad daylight!" He said, "You two were out in broad daylight! What were you thinking!?" _

"_What, you expect us to do, be cooped up in here all day?" Cristal asked. _

"_Don't even start with that!" Roman said, "I don't need your sass today Cristal! To make matters worse, you didn't even have your disguises! What would happen if someone saw you!?" _

"_Well it's not like the Witch mom told us about comes out in broad daylight! Besides, no one has seen the Witch since we lost our home!" _

"_That doesn't mean she's still out there!" _

"_Dad, don't be mad at her!" Destiny said, as she stepped in, "Besides, it was all my idea! I'm the one that talked her into it." _

_Roman only groaned as he shook his head, "... Princess… Your sister I expected this kind of behavior…. But you should know better than this." _

_Destiny looked to the floor as she had a sad look in her eyes, "... I'm sorry… Cristal and I just wanted to help. We didn't mean to worry you and Big Sis… But look-!" She soon took out the bag of money they had collected from earlier that day, "-We managed to sell a bunch of lemonade from the stand, and made tons of money! This way you won't have to worry about those envelopes with the red letters anymore!" _

_Roman took the money from his child's hands and looked to it. All children tended to exaggerated and Destiny had been no different. He could see the amount of it, and there wasn't much of it. _

_Sure, it was enough to pay for food and such, though not enough for the bills and her medicine. _

_He gave her a pat on the head as he said, "You did a good job sweetheart. You and your sister." _

"_Really?" Destiny said. _

_Roman nodded, "This is going to help out a lot, and I really appreciate it." He soon stood up, "But it still doesn't excuse the fact that you two broke a rule. I'm sorry but you two are grounded for till the end of the month." _

_Their eyes widened at this as they knew what this meant. _

"_Are you kidding me dad!?" Cristal shouted, "You want to keep us locked up in here for a whole month!? Because we were trying to sell lemonade!?" _

"_You know it's so much more than that young lady!" Roman soon said, "And for the record, we're done talking about this!" _

"_No, we're way past that!" Cristal shouted as her eye started to glow red, "I know what the Witch did, but let's face it, she's a coward! She has never shown her face anywhere else but back than!" _

"_Like I told you, she's still out there! Trying to find you and Destiny!" He yelled, "You know I'm doing this to protect you!" _

"_By keeping us prisoners twenty four seven!?" _

"_I never said you were prisoners!" _

"_Really, because it seems like we are!" _

"_Dad, Cristal!" Destiny said, "Don't fi-!" _

_All of a sudden Destiny felt a stabbing pain in her chest as she let out a strained gasp, getting their attention. Neo was quick to catch her as she nearly fell to the floor as she started to let out a scream from the agony she felt. _

_The child's vision became hazy, as the last thing she saw was her father and sister calling out to her. _

* * *

_(__**Opening Theme: RWBY V4 Opening Theme-Let's Just Live Performed By Casey Lee Williams**_)

-_**Present; Menagerie**_-

The boat had just pulled up to the docks on the small island; within a short time the ropes were tied to the large bolts provided, to keep the boat from drifting. Blake, her younger sister Shae and Sun left the boat with the other passengers. Sun had been in awe by the view of the island. He hadn't seen so many people in one place, let alone his own kind! Blake and Shae weren't too surprised by the crowd in the market area .

"This is-Just wow!" Sun said to the two cat Fanus, "I've never seen so many Fanus in one place before!"

"This is the one place where anyone can feel safe." Blake said, looking around with a small smile, "No matter who or what they are."

The three of them started to go through the market area, as Sun had accidentally been nudging people. He occasionally mumbled an apology as he bowed his head. "So, quick question… Is it always this crowded?"

"Pretty much." Shae replied with a shrug, "It's like this everyday on the island."

"That's what happens when you take an entire species and put them on a small island with two-thirds of it being a desert." Blake added.

"Two thirds!?" Sun exclaimed, "You guys have that much space!? Why waste it than? A little desert never hurt anybody."

"Oh please Monkey Boy." Shae said, "If it were that simple, you would've seen houses on that plain a long time ago. It's just not as simple as you think."

"Really? How so?" Sun asked.

"What she means is the deserts aren't like the ones in Vacuo." Blake said, "It's filled with more dangerous wildlife than any other regions of Remnant."

"So… In other words…" Sun started to say, "... They gave us a small island on the corner of Remnant just to shut us up?"

"That's basically how it is." Shae said.

Sun couldn't help but scoff at this, "What a bunch of jerks."

"We did the best with what we got." Blake said.

It wasn't long before the three of them found themselves at the top of a set of a large staircase. They had gotten a view of the rest of the island, with houses alongside the hill and trees. In the middle of it all, a large house sat there with at least three stories along with a sophisticated rooftop.

"Whoa…" Sun said as he had been enjoying the view, "What is this place?"

"It's our home." Blake said, "Kuro Kuana."

"It's… Beautiful." Sun said in awe, "I take it all back! This place looks great! Why would anyone want to leave?"

"Thanks but…" Shae said as her ears dropped slightly, "... That's not the whole point we were trying to make."

"All we wanted was to be equal like everyone else…" Blake soon added, "... Though instead we were just given a small island and told to make do! We did the best we could. We came together and made a home where any Fanus could feel welcome! But on this island… This town… It'll just be a constant reminder that we're nothing but second class citizens… That even after all of this… We won't be equal."

Sun saw the look on their faces and he soon placed his hands on the sisters shoulders. "Well hey…" Sun said giving Blake specifically a wink, "... This guy is feeling pretty at home!"

Blake smiled to Sun at this while Shae let out a sigh, "Speaking of…" Shae said, "... It's about time for us to see the folks… Though I'm still having mixed feelings about the whole thing."

"Well, it's bound to happen sooner or later." Blake told her.

"Sweet!" Sun exclaimed, throwing his arms over their shoulders, making Shae hiss a little, "Can't wait to meet them! Which ones yours? Can you see it from here?"

"... Kind of." Blake replied awkwardly.

"Is it that one over there!?" Sun said pointing to various houses, "Or how about that tiny one? I like the paint job."

Shae rolled her eyes, before she took hold of his hand, pointing to the house at the center of it all, "It's actually that one."

Sun's eyes widened when he saw that Shae had made him point to the house with three stories, and he couldn't help but look dumbfounded at this as he looked to the sisters. They only nodded their heads as they both knew what he was gonna ask. All Sun could do was let out some sort of noise as he had just been surprised.

"Come on." Blake said, "We're not gonna get anywhere just by standing here."

"Ye-Yeah." Shae said nervously.

They both descended down the stairs, though Shae had been noticed that Sun wasn't moving from his spot at all. Shae only let out a groan as she ended up dragging Sun by his tail.

It took them only but a few moments before they found themselves at the front of the gigantic doors. Both sisters had nervous looks on their faces as they were staring at the wooden door. Blake went to knock though had been hesitant in doing so; Sun noticed this from the girls.

"Something the matter?" He asked.

"I-" Blake started to stammer, "It's just been a long time… Since Shae and I have seen our family."

Shae started to back up, as her body shook slightly.

"You know what I changed my mind! I think I'm gonna go check into one of the local inns for the night!" Shae said.

Though before she made a break for it, Sun managed to grab a hold of her by the back of her shirt, and lifted her only a couple of inches up off the ground. "Come on, don't chicken out scaredy cat!" He said, "You've already come all this way, just face it like a man!... EVen though your a girl."

"DON'T CALL ME A SCAREDY CAT MONKEY BOY!" Shae yelled.

"Shae…" Blake said, "... We've come this far already. There's no sense in turning back now."

Shae's ears had gotten droopy again, "Fine, whatever…"

With that, Sun let go of Shae just by Blake. She took the knob provided and knocked on the door, letting out a loud noise as it caused Sun to jump.

"Okay, if we're gonna be honest… That's a little intimidating." Sun said.

Just than they heard a voice coming from the other side of the door.

"Coming! Coming!" It said.

The door opened revealing a fairly tall girl with a set of wings on her back, having a single fang poking out. Her eyes were that of gold and her long hair had been a little wavy and in the shade of a red ruby color. She looked to be in her early twenties. She wore what looked to be a short yukata in black and white that reached up to her knees as she had worn a set of black leggings underneath with a set of wooden sandals.

"Hi, can I help you-"

She looked completely shocked as her eyes laid upon the two sisters.

"Oh my God…" The girl said shocked, "... You're back…?"

"Yeah… We are." Shae said awkwardly.

"Who's the dragon?" Sun whispered awkwardly.

"She's… My third sister…" Blake whispered back as she gave the girl a smile.

"Third sister!?" Sun nearly yelled.

"Angel!" A voice called out, "Honey, who's at the door?"

Another young woman came into view. This time she bared a resemblance to Blake, and Shae. The only difference being she had short black hair and the cat ears above her head had golden earrings; Two on her left and one on her right. She wore a black traditional outfit with one sleeve trimmed and a pair of black hakamata bottoms with sandals to go with it.

Her golden eyes widened when she saw the two young teens standing before the front door.

"Blake…? Shae…?" The woman said.

"Hi… Mom." Blake said with a wave.

"We're back…" Shae added with a smile.

The woman, being their mother was moved to tears, as she gave the sisters a hug. The girl named Angel couldn't help but cry out of joy.

"My dear little babies…" Their mother said.

"Mom…" Shae groaned awkwardly as she turned red with embarrassment.

"Well can you blame her?" Angel said tearfully though still with a smile, "You two have been gone for so long, we didn't think you would ever come home!"

"Kali! Angel!" A man's voice soon called out, "Who is it?"

The woman named Kali turned and said, "Ghira! Ghira! It's Blake and Shae! Our children have come home!"

A tall muscular man came into view; he had black hair and a beard as well and had a pair of golden yellow eyes. He had on a violet jacket that revealed the hair on his chest and had a sash around his waist that matched his jacket. He had on a pair of beige pants with black leather boots and had some kind of shoulder armor and the same silver armor on his abs as well.

He almost didn't believe his wife's words but soon saw them with his own eyes; his expression changed, and saw them at the door by his wife's side. Both Blake and Shae gave a smile to their father, and they silently waved to him.

The father, by the name of Ghira smiled back at them, just as happy as his wife was to see them both.

* * *

Once everything had settled, they had proceeded into the dining area, where they had rested from their travels. Blake and Shae filled them in on what they were doing since they've been away from home; though Shae kept the fact that she was part of Vale and Beacon's destruction since she wasn't ready to tell them. They knew he was in Vale but not the fact he was a part of the destruction. They were shocked to hear some of the stories of course, but still they were just glad to see them back home.

Angel had been pouring them tea, as their parents took it all in.

"We were all horrified when we heard the news." Kali admitted, "The kingdom of Vale wasn't always perfect… But it certainly didn't deserve what happened."

"We were all worried." Angel added.

"Please, this is Blake and Shae we're talking about!" Ghira said, "I knew they would be alright!"

Kali scoffed, "That isn't even the slightest bit true."

"He was pacing… A lot." Angel whispered.

"More so than usual?" Shae asked.

"Yup!" Angel replied.

Sun had soon spoken up, "Hey, hey you guys, Shae here was able to take herself just like Blake! And I've seen her in action, and trust me, she's got some moves!"

Blake froze at this while Shae spit out her tea, "**YOU WHAT!?**" Shae shouted before coughing a little.

Ghira soon gave a glare, making Sun shiver, "And what exactly do you mean by that Mr. Wukong?"

Sun started to sweat nervously as he started to try and explain himself, "I-Uh-Well-You see-Sir, it's just that-She's a good fighter and all-And uh-As a fellow fighter, I respect-"

"Who the hell does he think he is…?" Shae grumbled as her pupils dilated, "... Making a move on you like that like he's king of the-"

"Shae, it's not like that." Blake said.

"Remind me again…" Angel said, "... Is he supposed to be your boyfriend?"

"No." Blake replied shaking her head, "He's just a friend."

"Why is here again?" Kali asked.

"He… Sort of followed us home." She replied.

"Ah, I see." Kali said while nodding.

"-She's definitely above average!" Sun finished awkwardly, only earning looks from the whole Belladonna family. Just to delude them from it, he picked up the teapot sitting nearby and poured it into his cup. "This tea, is really good!"

"Aww…" Angel said, "... I like him, he's good for you Blake!"

"I agree!" Kali added.

"**MOM!**" Blake shouted.

"**ANGEL!**" Shae exclaimed with her face red.

It wasn't long before they heard the door knock again, making most of them alert. Ghira seemed to know who it had been as he looked troubled.

"Darn!" He said, "I completely forgot about the meeting!"

"Father?" Angel said worried.

"Ghira…" Kali said putting her hand on his, as to calm him down.

"Give me a moment." Ghira said to them, giving his wife a reassuring pat to his wife.

He soon stood up from his seat and went towards the door. "Meeting?" Shae said before turning to her eldest and mother, "What kind of meeting?"

"Is everything okay?" Blake asked.

"Yes dearies, it's just poor timing." Kali replied, "He can reschedule. It's just been hard dealing with them lately."

"Them?" Shae said, "Who do you mean?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Angel replied, "... _**The White Fang**_**.**"

Sun, Shae and Blake's eyes widened at this as they jumped from their seats. "**WHAT!?**" They all exclaimed.

They soon ran out of the room and towards the front door where Ghira had been. There they spotted two men standing outside, both looking exactly the same, bearing the same outfit, yet one had the ears of a fox, and the other had the tail of a hound.

"**DAD!**" Blake exclaimed.

"**PAPA**!" Shae shouted.

"Blake, Shae?" Ghiria said surprised, "What's wrong?"

The two, one named Corsac, and the other named Fennec bowed their heads to the sisters.

"Young Belladonna's." Corsac said.

"We had no idea you both returned." Fennec said.

"Why are you talking to these people!?" Blake said.

"Who are they anyway!?" Shae shouted.

"This is Corsac and Fennec Albain." Ghira replied, "They represent the White Fang here in Menagerie."

"Are you kidding me!?" Sun shouted, "You mean to tell me those psychos are here too!?"

"Young man, I'm not sure what you've heard about our organization…" Fennec began to say, "... But I can assure you, we're not nearly as ferocious as the media has us believe."

"What we heard!?" Shae exclaimed, "We didn't just hear about it! We saw it with our very own eyes!"

"We all saw what you did!" Blake said, "We all saw it in Vale! Your finatics slaughtered people!"

Ghira seemed surprised to hear this, as he turned to the two brothers, "... What are they talking about?"

"It is precisely what we came to discuss with you your Grace." Corsac replied calmly. It hadn't been long before Angel and Kali came into view, as they had a concerned look on their faces.

"Father?" Angel said, "Is everything alright?"

"What's happening?" Kali asked.

"Wait, you guys seriously don't know?!" Sun shouted as he noticed the looks on their faces.

"... Know what?" Ghira said dangerously.

Blake looked to her younger sister as she noticed she had a guilty look in her eyes. Her ears have gone down as she turned away, knowing she had to tell the truth. Blake took a deep breath, "... The White Fang was at the Fall of Beacon." She explained, "They attacked and released Grimm into the school. What's worse… Before all of it… They kidnapped two people! Both of them are sisters! A human child and a girl, nearly as old as I am! They took them hostage, and kept them apart from their family, before the Vytal Festival began!"

Shae's eyes widened at this, as did her family members at this newfound information. "Are you serious!?" Shae exclaimed, "They kidnapped humans!? Adam never told me…"

"Is this true?" Ghira said turning to the two brothers.

"Sadly your grace… It is." Fennec replied.

"Don't act like you-!"

"That's enough!" Ghira said cutting Blake off; he soon looked back to the brothers, "Explain yourselves."

Corsac soon complied, "Though it pains us to admit, it has become that the Vale branch is no longer operating under orders from High Leader Khan. Rather they've elected to follow the rule of one… _Adam Tarrus_. I believe you're all too familiar with the young adept and his… _Extreme philosophies_."

"You know, Beacon wasn't the first time Fang started to shoot up Vale!" Sun said.

"The High Council had their suspicions about there being a splinter group, but they could prove nothing until this latest incident." Fennec said.

"Incident!?" Blake shouted, "People are dead! And it's because of the White Fang, the sisters on gone! One is in a coma and the other is missing!"

"And it is a tragedy die the citizens of Vale, and the sisters family." Corsac said sadly.

"Your Grace, we came here to assure you that Brother Taurus and his followers, do not represent the will of the White Fang." Fennec assured Ghira.

"... How can _**I **_be sure of that?" Ghira asked.

"We understand if you bare any skepticism of these claims." Corsac said, "The White Fang's tactics are admittedly more aggressive since you stepped down as High Leader and became Chieftain of Menagerie. But this… This is no way to make our message heard."

"We have ample documentation from the council meeting as well as several strategies to apprehend and punish these strays if you care to review them."

Ghira nodded, "... I will… But for another day." He turned to Blake and Shae, "... For the time being, I'd like to reconnect with my daughters."

"But of course." Corsac said as he bowed, "We understand."

Fennec soon turned to the sisters, "It was a pleasure to see you both again, Young Blake… Young Shae."

"We were saddened when we heard of your departure and of your sisters." Corsac added, "But we understand if you both no longer support our cause."

"It is a weary fight after all." Fennec added.

"... Who says we're done fighting?" Blake said.

"Yeah…" Shae added, "... You shouldn't write us off just yet."

The two brothers nodded in understanding. "If either of you ever wish to return, you need merely come find us." Corsac said.

"Sister Ilia, would be elated." Fennec added.

"Goodbye gentlemen." Ghira said, as he shut the doors on the two brothers. Blake and Shae looked to one another as they both let out a sigh. Angel soon took them both aside as she lead them away from it all. Kali noticed the troubled look on her husbands face, as she was quick to comfort him; all Ghira gave was a smile.

"So…" Sun soon said, "... Those guys were creepy."

Ghira only turned to him unamused, "... I _**REALLY**_ don't like you."

As Corsac and Fennec descended down the stairs, as they had a thought come over them.

"An interesting development…" Corsac said, "... Wouldn't you say?"

"Interesting indeed." Fennec replied.

"... So… Shall we inform Brother Adam?"

"... Oh we shall."

* * *

-_**Three Years Ago; Vale's Apartment 3G**_-

_The minute Destiny had started to cry out with agony, Roman, Neo and Cristal had been quick to act. Neo headed straight out the door to get the doctor while Roman and Cristal grabbed what little IV they had and started to pump it into the child's heart. They made sure Destiny was taking deep breaths, as to not choke on her own spit. _

_It wasn't long till Neo returned with the doctor where it was at the point, Roman himself had been on the verge of panicking when Destiny seemed to cry even louder. She had been quick to replace the IV drip they had provided. _

_It hadn't been long before she examined the child, as she had been giving out labored breaths. _

_The young doctor possessing brown hair and light tanned skin gave a sigh as she wiped away the sweat. _

"_Well?" Roman asked the Doctor, "How is she?" _

"_The medicine should take effect in the next few minutes." The Doctor said as she fixed her hair a little, "She should be alright." _

_He and Cristal couldn't help but give a sigh of relief. "I don't know how to thank you enough Vera." Roman said, "I know how troubling it is to take the time off your schedule-" _

"_Please Mr. Torchwick, it's alright." The woman named Vera said, "I'm just happy I can help her. Don't worry about the fee, I'll take care of it." _

"_No, you shouldn't do that!" Roman said, "I told you I'd take care of it!" _

"_Please." Vera said, "We both know that my boss isn't going to give you time to pay off your debt, and that he's only in it for the money. Besides, we both know he knows your a criminal for a living." _

_Roman let out a sigh at Vera's statement. It was true the hospital he had taken to his daughter to after they arrived in the city of Vale. He had hoped when he started to get back into the underworld business, he had to keep it under wraps, though Vera and her boss had been able to figure out after he himself had come to the hospital the fifth time around. _

_Her boss had decided to take advantage of this, though Vera thankfully had been sympathetic towards them; she had been the only person to show them kindness which he had been thankful for. Even though he was used to being a criminal, he wished she didn't go through all this trouble for them. While it was true she knew about his daughters, that didn't mean he told her everything. _

"_I just wish there was more that I could do for you." Vera said, "You still have to pay for her surgery." _

"_It's alright, you've already done plenty for my daughter." Roman said before he shook her hand, "Thanks again Vera." _

"_Anytime." Vera said with a smile, "It's always been my pleasure." _

_With that Vera left the apartment as she waved to him; Neo leading her out of the apartment. He let out a sigh as he ran his hand through his hair as he looked to the little one resting in bed. Giving her a kiss on the forehead, he treaded softly as not to wake her, before he shut the door. _

_He soon entered the living room where he found Cristal sitting in a fetal position on the couch. "Hey there Little Gem…" Roman said, "... Room for one more?" _

_Cristal only let out a grunt as he took this as a sign as he sat by her. "Everytime Destiny has an attack, you seem to go through this." Roman said, "You sure your okay?" _

"_... I… I don't know." Cristal replied as she picked up her head a little, "... I hate this… I hate this feeling I keep having… This unwavering guilt I have…" _

_The young girl's body shook as she couldn't help but inhale sharply, "It's all my fault that she's like this! I told mom-No I promised mom that I would look after her! But I let her get shot by that damn-!" _

"_Cristal." Roman said to her sternly, "... You don't think I want the same thing? You and Destiny are everything to me, and I want to protect you both the same way you want to protect your little sister." _

"_But I feel like I'm failing at that!" Cristal exclaimed, "Not only did she nearly die from getting shot at, and now has a bullet stuck in there, but I couldn't even protect her from getting punched at! If only I did something but-" _

_Cristal only let out a groan in frustration as she couldn't help but kick the coffee table in front of them; though she ended up regretting soon afterwards as she cried out with agony, and held onto her foot like it was going to fall off. _

_Roman sighed, before he gave her a pat on the back, "Just let it out hon." _

"_... It's not fair…" Cristal said as her body shook, "... Why do all the bad things keep happening to us…? Is this the world's way of punishing us…? Does mom… Hate us after all… For letting her down...?" _

_Immediately he shook his head, "Cristal, you know your mom doesn't hate you. She never has, and she never will. Even if she's not with us anymore, she still loves you and your little sister, more than anything else in this world like me." _

"_But look what's happened to me and her!" Cristal couldn't help but exclaim, "Her eye's been replaced with a Grimm's eye! Our Auras are long gone, and I'm-I don't even know what I am anymore!" _

"_Well I know what you are." Roman said, "You're my daughter, you both are. You always will be, whether you have Aura or not." _

_Soon enough tears started to fall, as Cristal couldn't seem to stop them. Roman bought her in for a hug, as the tears didn't hit the floor; but instead disappeared with black mist. Her red eye started to coat itself with black as a red eye insignia appeared on her forehead. _

"_I hate this…" Cristal said as her voice cracked, "... I hate this so much…" _

"_There, there, Little Gem…" Roman said as he stroked her hair, "It's alright… Just let out. Just let it all out…"_

* * *

_-__**Present; Higanbana**_-

In the tavern of Higanbana, the young waitress had been helping out with closing up shop for the night. While her other co-workers helped out with cleaning the tables, with a couple of others clean up the tables, while the bartender was cleaning up the dishes leftover from that busy night.

Though just as they were finishing up, two people entered the small establishment, which had gotten the bartender's attention. Only one of them had been cloaked.

"We ain't serving right now." He said, "Won't be serving until tomorrow."

"We're not looking to buy a drink." The one cloaked had said.

Before the bartender could say anything more, their hand reached out to him, touching his forehead. A faint color of red glowed for a moment before the bartender fell to the ground with a thud; he let out soft snores as he appeared to be sleeping.

Some of the other staff looked to the cloaked figure fearfully as the red light seemed to have glowed a bit more violently now and saw what had been underneath the hood.

It had been that of a Geist Mask, and the person appeared to be hiding horns underneath.

It was revealed to be Elise.

She approached the other staff, as they stood paralyzed with fear.

Her companion on the other hand approached the last waitress who had been oblivious to the situation at hand as she proceeded to clean the floors with soaped water and a brush.

"Excuse me." He said, getting her attention.

She saw a man standing before her, wearing a brown trenchcoat as his chest revealed a set of scars. Her companion had been revealed to be Tyrian.

He chuckled before licking his lips, "I was hoping you could… **Help me find someone.**"

(**Ending Theme: The Promised Neverland Ending 1-Zettai Zetsumei Performed By Co shu Nie**)


	8. Chapter 6: The Mirror of Me

(_**Opening Theme: RWBY V4 Opening Theme-Let's Just Live Performed By Casey Lee Williams**_)

-_**Atlas**_-

_**I'm not your pet, not another thing you own**_

_**I was not born guilty of your crimes**_

_**Your riches and your influence can't hold me anymore**_

_**I won't be possessed, burdened by your royal test**_

_**I will not surrender**_

_**This life is mine**_

Everyone had gathered in the ballroom after the concert was done.

Most of the people around had chatted with one another while others were eating and drinking whatever the waiters had brought to them. Weiss however wasn't really enjoying herself since she had to spend most of it by staying by her father's side as did the twins, Van and Nilla. Weiss wore a long dress with sleeves and blue diamonds, with a set of heels to go with it.

Van and Nilla both wore simple dresses.

Van wore a blue dress with a white ribbon wrapped around her waist and her hair had been curled, while Nilla's had on a white dress with a blue ribbon wrapped around her waist as she had on a braided ponytail. Both had the Schnee insignia on the skirt of their dress.

Van played with her hair a little, while Nilla had been messing with her ribbon.

"I swear… This thing is trying to kill me." Nilla said as she ended up undoing her ribbon.

"Nilla stop that." Van said to her softly, not wanting to get the attention of their father.

"You know I don't like dresses!" Nilla said, "It's just so painful!"

"This is supposed to be a social gathering, and you have to dress appropriately. You know that."

"I think there should be a change in the dress code!"

Weiss couldn't help but laugh softly as she rolled her eyes. Nilla had always been a tomboy since she and Van were born. She never wore dresses even when she was at home in their mansion. Her father always told Nilla to wear something more appropriate, but let's just say she was rebellious.

Weiss kneeled and helped Nilla fix her ribbon.

"It's only for one night." Weiss told her, "Even you can survive for that long."

"Weiss, we're bored." Van said, "Do we have to stay by father's side all night?"

"Unfortunately so." Weiss said as she stood again.

"But we wanna do something!" Nilla complained, "Something that doesn't involve us just standing around and doing nothing!"

"Well, what do you wanna do?" She asked her younger sisters.

Van and Nilla started to look around the ballroom wondering it was they should do. It wasn't long till they spotted the large painting just at the end of the room. "Can we go see that picture?" Van asked pointing to it.

"Yeah Weiss, can we?" Nilla added.

Weiss looked to where Van had pointed, only to realize what the painting had been of. "Alright." She said to the twins with a smile, as they couldn't help but smile back.

Just as they were about to go they were soon stopped by Jacques.

"Where do you think you three are going?" He asked them making them freeze.

Weiss was quick to think of an excuse, "Van and Nilla are thirsty. I was going to get them a drink."

"Ye-Yes it's exactly what she said!" Nilla said adding onto the excuse, "We're just as dry as a desert father!"

"Sweetheart, we have people for that." Jacques said to Nilla as he was about to signal a waiter. Weiss had been quick to prevent him as she grabbed his arm.

"There's no need, I can get it for them." She told him, "We'll be right back, I promise."

With that, the three of them went over to where the painting had been. There the twins had gotten a good look at the painting. It was of Beacon looked like before the Grimm and White Fang had invaded it; The twins couldn't help but be in awe.

"Wow…" Van said leaning against the railing provided, "... It's beautiful."

"Is that what Beacon looked like?" Nilla asked.

"Yeah…" Weiss said, feeling nostalgic, "... Though I will admit, it's better if you see it in person."

Van and Nilla looked to each other, before they turned to Weiss, "Do you think Beacon will be repaired soon?"

"Maybe not soon… But someday it will be." Weiss replied softly.

The twins couldn't help but smile at this as they continued to gaze at the painting, excited at the thought of seeing Beacon one day. They didn't realize Weiss was approached by a young teen.

"It's beautiful. You two match."

Weiss looked over to a young man, with his hair in the shade of a dark blue color. Van and Nilla took notice of the young man as they both hid behind Weiss.

Weiss crossed her arms as she replied, "Yes, it's a lovely painting."

"So that was my attempt to break the ice." He admitted, "How am I doing so far?"

Weiss let out a sigh, "You are leaving a lot to be desired."

"Well, I've always appreciated honesty." He said before introducing himself, holding out a hand to her, "I'm Henry. Henry Marigold."

Weiss eventually had given him her hand, "... Weiss Schnee."

"I know. I saw your performance." Henry said before clearing his throat, "Obviously. You were wonderful, and I promise I'm not just saying that because you're pretty."

Weiss only rolled her eyes as she let out a scoff. She comforted her sisters seeing as how they were both nervous around the new face. Henry soon decided to divert from the awkwardness.

"So…" He started to say, "... You thinking of buying it?"

Weiss's eyebrow twitched slightly at this as she replied, "No, I don't think so."

"Yeah… It's kind of pricey for a painting." He told her.

"It's to raise money!"

"Oh really?... _**For what**_?"

Weiss looked to him shocked as did the twins by his words. Weiss finally turned back to him, "... For… What?" She said speechless, putting emphasis in her words.

Henry didn't seem to notice this as he laughed, "I'll admit, I only come to these events for the food and drinks-" He soon took a drink off the tray as a waiter walked by them, "-And the extraordinary company. Of course. So what is this for? Is it another Mantle Fundraiser?"

The twins only looked horrified as Weiss's hand shook in anger.

"Get… Out." Weiss told him.

"Uh… What?" Henry said surprised.

"Get out, or I will have security escort you out."

"Hang on now, I didn't do any-"

Henry stopped himself when he felt a hand on his shoulder. Weiss and the twins looked shocked by what they had seen. "Nava?" Weiss said surprised.

"I believe my sister made herself clear to you sir." She told him softly, not wanting to attract attention, "Vacate the premises, now."

Henry saw the look in her eyes almost as if they pierced him in one shot. Despite him shaking a little, he let out a scoff, "Whatever."

With that being said, he left the four girls alone; Nava soon lost her look as she let out a relieved sigh, "Sorry… If I scared you. I don't normally like doing things like this, but-"

"Nava, I don't think I've ever seen you like that before." Nilla said.

"Yeah… You kinda look liked mom, no offense." Van admitted.

"None taken." Nava told them, "But… After I heard that guy talk to Weiss… I just…"

"Nava." Weiss soon said, stopping her, "It's fine. I'm glad you came."

Nava only nodded at this as she looked to her feet, while twiddling her thumbs. Weiss gave her a pat on the head as if to reassure her that she did the right thing which she couldn't help but smile as her face turned a little red.

"Still I'm surprised." Nilla soon said, "We don't really see you that often, we usually see with Whitely."

Nava had gotten a bit nervous again, "... Yeah, well… I need a break from our brother every now and again. I just… Can't stand to be around him sometimes. Especially how he…" She looked to Weiss, as she couldn't help but give a sympathetic look, as her own gaze softened.

"I understand." Weiss told her, "I need a break from father from time to time."

"I'm sorry that I'm not around to comfort you as often as I used to." Nava said, "But with all that's going on after the Fall of Beacon I just-"

"-But really, is it really surprising what happened to Vale?"

The sisters turned when they heard a voice cut through the crowd. The four of them saw a young woman with blonde hair wearing a dark dress and having a set of violet eyes talking to her husband.

"It was a long time coming if you ask me!" She said smugly.

"Honey, keep your voice down…" Her husband said.

"What?" She said, "You said the same thing last night! If they're so arrogant to think they can get by without proper kingdom defenses, then I say good riddance!"

"**SHUT UP!**"

Everything had ceased, even the music that had been playing had stopped. Their attention had been drawn to Weiss's sudden outburst. Jacques looked over in her direction, as Van, Nilla and Nava had been taken back by their sisters sudden tone.

"**YOU DON'T HAVE A CLUE!**" Weiss shouted, "**NONE OF YOU DO!**"

"Excuse me?" The woman said.

"**YOU'RE ALL JUST STANDING AROUND TALKING ABOUT NOTHING!**" She shouted, "**WORRIED ABOUT YOUR HAIR, YOUR MONEY, YOUR STUPID PROBLEMS THAT DON'T MEAN ANYTHING!**"

"Weiss…" Van and Nilla said with worry.

"Sister, calm down." Nava said as she placed her hand on her shoulder, while Weiss's body shook with anger.

Before Weiss herself could say anything more, Jacques had went over to them, as he grabbed her by the arm.

"Weiss! That's enough!" He told her.

"Let go of me!" Weiss said, as she went to pry herself from his grip.

"You're embarrassing the family!" He said.

"I said, let go of me!" She shouted thrashing harder.

"Father stop!" Nava pleaded.

"You're hurting Weiss father!" Van said.

"Please, let her go!" Nilla said.

With a harsh tug, Weiss found herself falling to the ground; though Nava was quick to catch her a glyph soon manifested. Everyone jumped at the sight of a Boarbatusk that appeared from the circle. It let out a roar before it went to charge at the woman.

"**PLEASE I'M SORRY!**" The woman screamed, as she clinged to her husband, "**I'M SORRY! JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!**"

The Boarbatusk leaped high into the air going to attack, but was soon shot. It turns out it was none other than James Ironwood that had killed the supposed Grimm. It vanished into a white mist instead of that of black they were so used to seeing, and the glyph beside Weiss had vanished too.

Van and Nilla went to Weiss's side, as they helped her off the ground as did Nava.

"Are you okay?" Van asked.

"That was really scary." Nilla couldn't help but add.

"I-I'm okay." She reassured them, "Don't worry about me."

"And I thought I could get scary, no offense." Nava said.

"**ARREST HER!**" They heard the woman yell to Ironwood, "**WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR!? SHE'S INSANE! SHE SHOULD BE LOCKED UP!**"

"... _**She's the only one making sense around her**_." Ironwood had stated, before he turned to their father, "Thanks for the party Jacques."

With that, Ironwood took his leave as Jacques couldn't help but glare over to Weiss. Weiss herself seemed to shrink at the look he gave.

* * *

-_**Somewhere in Anima**_-

The group found themselves walking along the path that was provided for them, after their stay at the towns inn. Roman was glad to be back in his normal attire, once they left, though they saved the clothing and dye just in case they needed it again (_Much to his own dismay_). The group walked along side by side, with Senka and Frosty, as the fox tried to get the Griffon to play with him as to ease his boredom (_Much to Senka's own dismay_).

Scout stretched her arms as she took in the air around them, "The smell of a peaceful morning! This weather is a lot better then it was yesterday!"

"Yup!" Nora added with a smile, "Another day! Another adventure!"

"What's on the agenda today?" Ruby asked as she put her hands together.

"Walking!" Jaune replied as he was holding the map, with Rosario reading along with him, just to make sure they were going the right way.

"With a side of-!" Nora said, pretending she was beating on a set of drums.

"-More walking." Ren, Melody, and Roman finished.

"Maybe with a picnic on the side, but other than that, it's just walking for miles." Cristal soon said.

Ruby couldn't help but slouch over as she let out a groan, "Haven's a lot farther away then I thought."

The group looked to one another as they all couldn't help but have the same thought. Ren had been the first to speak up, "Ruby? How long did you think this journey was going to take?"

Ruby noticed the looks they were giving as she started to get flustered. It wasn't long before she shouted, "I don't know! I grew up on Patch, and it's considered small! I've never been _**THIS**_ far from home before!"

"Yeah… But for how long?" Jaune soon asked.

Ruby replied awkwardly, "... Um… Two weeks?"

"**WHAT!?**"

"**OKAY FINE! THREE WEEKS!**"

"**THREE WEEKS!?**" The group soon shouted.

"**SERIOUSLY!? DID YOU EVER LOOK AT A MAP BEFORE!?**" Rosario yelled.

"**WELL WHAT DID YOU EXPECT ME TO SAY!?**" Ruby shouted back, getting in Rosario's face, "**IT'S NOT MY FAULT YOU KNOW!**"

"Cut that out!" Melody said immediately breaking up the feud between them, "You keep fighting like that and your bound to attract the Grimm that are nearby."

Both of the girls scoffed as they crossed their arms and turned away from each other.

"As always Red, you're just as short tempered as your sister." Roman said, earning a pout from her.

As they walked down the stone path, Scout's ears soon twitched as she caught sight of a couple of buildings just ahead. "Does anyone else see that?" Scout asked, getting the groups attention.

They had gotten closer as the horizon became more clear. They saw what looked to be a wall surrounding the place. Nora went on top one of the fallen posts to get a better look as the group looked at the place more closely.

"Is that a town?" Cristal asked.

"That can't be right." Rosario said looking at the map along with Jaune, "It's not supposed to be here."

"You sure you're reading that right?" Roman asked.

"Yeah." Jaune replied, "I may not be good at much, but I can navigate pretty well. Though it still doesn't make any sense… I didn't think we would hit another town for at least a few days."

"Maybe they have an herbal shop." Scout soon suggested, "I've been meaning to restock on some medical herbs."

"Couldn't you do that at Higanbana?" Ren asked curiously.

"I would, but they don't have a specific herb I need, in case one of you gets hurt." Scout replied.

Nora squinted noticing something about the buildings in front of them. "Are those buildings…" She started to say, "... _**Damaged?**_"

Everyone's eyes widened in horror as damaged buildings could only mean one thing. "Let's look for survivors!" Jaune said.

They wasted no time as they ran towards the town, not realizing that they left behind the map. They started to look through the town to find any signs of life as the group had split off. Each of them looked in buildings, underneath some loose debris. Most of them even called out for anyone to shout back, but they were met with silence.

Eventually the group met up again, after they had done enough looking.

"I searched all over, there's no one here." Rosario said.

"Anyone else have any luck?" Jaune asked.

"No." Ruby replied, "We even checked inside the buildings."

"Doesn't anyone else notice something off about this place?" Melody asked the group, "This is a town, so shouldn't there be people here?"

"Plus… These buildings seem… Half-finished." Scout added.

"We wouldn't have found anyone regardless." Roman soon said to the group as he rejoined them along with Cristal, "This whole town has been abandoned, probably for the last decade."

"How do you know that?" Nora asked.

"The vines on the walls, and the paint job on the buildings." Cristal soon replied, "It's something you pick up when traveling."

"So… This place is incomplete?" Rosario said, "... That would explain why it didn't show up on the map."

"But… What could this place be?" Melody asked.

"... I guess it couldn't hurt to look around some more." Jaune soon suggested.

The group started to look around the town again, as Ruby looked to the buildings once more as she couldn't help but look to it with solemn.

"_... I wonder what could've happened here._" Ruby thought to herself as she looked to the clouds, hearing the thunder roar in the distance. She could feel the wind pick up as the clouds began to roll in. "Guys!" She soon heard Nora call out, "I think I found something!"

Ruby soon rejoined the others as they were all gathered around a sign. Nora moved some of the leaves out of the way as they saw the sign had read-

"Oniyuri?" Nora read, "... Never heard of it."

"That definitely doesn't ring a bell." Rosario said scratching her head, "Does anybody else know it?"

"Nope." Jaune replied, "Haven't heard of it."

"I have." Ren spoke up, as the group looked to him surprised, while Frosty and Senka tilted their heads in confusion. Ren soon started to explain, "... You might think of it as Anima's Mountain Glenn… _**Had it never been completed.**_"

The group had been taken back by this as they saw the look in Rena's eyes change. Ren walked away from the group as he had his eyes to the ground, "... Many years ago, the richest members of Mistral were unhappy with how the Kingdom was being run. Frustrated with the council, they pooled all their resources together to build their own city… _**With their own laws**_."

He soon stopped at a stone wall nearby, placing his hand on it.

"... They hoped that one day, it could maybe even become its own Kingdom." He said, "Many thought it would be the future… I know my parents did."

"What…" Ruby started to say, "... What happened?"

"What always happens." Ren replied, as he brushed the dust away from the wall; there they saw a set of claw marks, and they knew exactly what it meant.

"... Grimm…" Jaune said with solemn.

Ren clenched his fist, "_**... Not just any one.**_"

Everyone gave a look of confusion, as they wondered what he meant. Nora on the other hand looked to him with worry as her gaze softened. They soon heard the sound of crows fly overhead, as the clouds started to roll in.

"We should keep moving." Roman said to the group, "It doesn't feel safe here."

"Yeah." Jaune added, "This place is giving me the creeps."

"Ditto to that." Rosario said.

With that, the group started to make their way out of the abandoned town, that was until… Cristal found herself stopping when she felt something was off. Her chest started to her hurt and her head began to throb; her vision began to change as she could've sworn she found herself outside of the town where they first entered.

She found herself falling to her knees and groaning as the butterfly insignia appeared on her forehead as she felt her body shiver. As quickly as the vision came, it suddenly vanished bringing her back to reality.

"Wha-" Cristal said gasping, "-What was that?"

Roman soon approached her, when he noticed that she was behind. "Cristal?" He said worried, as he kneeled to her, "Honey, are you okay?"

"Ye-Yeah." Cristal replied as she struggled to stand on her feet, "I'm okay dad. Let's go."

She started to walk ahead of her worried father, as he soon caught up with her. He walked by her side, putting his arm around her as to comfort her, as he could tell she was troubled. The insignia stayed as she placed her hand on her.

"_... That presence just now…_" She thought to herself, "_... Is it Destiny's…?_" She shook her head a little as she thought about how it felt; for a moment she looked back to the entrance. "_... No. That's wrong. That feeling just now. It was burning like fire, and that chill just now… __**Whose presence was that?**_"

* * *

-_**A Few Weeks Earlier**_-

_After a few more hours of walking, RNJR and CRMS with the help of Roman found a spot to set up camp for the night. Each had been divided with a series of tasks to set up everything for the night. Some were set up to keep watch in case of Grimm, some went to set up camp for the night, some went to collect some firewood, and some went to get some food for the night. _

_Ruby and Cristal ended up being the ones to find something to eat, till at least they got to the next town to get some decent meals. Not that they minded eating what they caught anyway. _

_They found river nearby as they decided to follow it till they reached a lake. _

_The two had been in awe by the sight of it all, and when they peered into the waters, they saw a bunch of fish. _

"_Cheese and crackers, we've just hit the motherload!" Cristal exclaimed, "There's enough fish to last us months if we wanted!" _

_When Cristal looked to Ruby, she noticed that she made a troubled look, which made her look quizzical. _

"_Hey! Red?" Cristal said flicking her head a little, "You heard me right?" _

_Ruby seemingly snapped out of her daze as she looked to her, "Sorry! I was just thinking about something!" Ruby said, "What were you saying?" _

"_I was just talking about the fish…" Cristal replied awkwardly, "... What were you thinking about?" _

_Ruby replied as she stammered, "No-Nothing! Who said I was thinking about anything!? I'm not!" _

"_O… Kay…?" Cristal said, still feeling awkward, "Let's just go and catch some fish for dinner." _

"_Yeah, okay, sure!" Ruby said, "I'll get the net from Senka!" _

_Ruby went to go and do just that, leaving Cristal to ponder at her friends strange behavior. Little did she know, something had been indeed troubling Ruby, since the beginning of their venture to Mistral if anyone could believe it. _

_It had been no secret to her, or anyone that Cristal would often stay up late nights, and not just to keep watch over them in case a Grimm attack them in their sleep or that of a bandit. Though just from the look on Cristals face, she knew something had been troubling her. _

_She couldn't help but wonder what it could be, if it was anything at all in fact. _

_She had an idea of what it could be, but it had only been a possibility. _

_She might still be thinking about her little sister, and she couldn't blame her. She had seen how they were as they took care of how close they had been, how normal they acted around each other. It reminded her of how she and her sister were. She wanted to ask, but if she had to be honest she was scared to do so. _

_But she knew the longer she waited, the more her condition worsened. The last thing she wanted right now, was to have one of her closest friends and comrades to be sleep deprived. _

_As Cristal set the net in the lake, she saw her take off her boots, before she set them in the water. She let out a relaxing sigh as she leaned back. _

"_Come sit with me Ruby!" Cristal said, "The water feels fantastic!" _

_Ruby silently complied as she removed her shoes and tights before sitting beside her allowing her feet to sink into the lakes depths. She let out a content sigh, "Aw man! That soothes my aching feet." _

"_Right?" She said, "Maybe we can bring dad and the others here tomorrow morning for a swim before we head out." _

"_Sure, I don't see why not." Ruby replied, "Provided that Frosty or Senka don't have a competition like last time." _

_Senka let out a peculiar growl, making Cristal stifle a laugh, "Oh you're competitive and you know it buddy! Too bad Nora ended up kicking both of your butts since she got in on the competition last minute." _

_Senka couldn't help but playfully nudge her causing her to laugh; Ruby laughed along with her at how silly they both looked. Cristal allowed the Griffon's head to rest on her lap, and she gave him a friendly little pat. _

"_... You seem to like this kind of thing." Ruby pointed out, "That's something you and Roman have in common." _

_Cristal soon looked to the lake, the setting sun, reflecting off of the waters, "... There used to be a lake like this one back where I lived. Mom, dad and I used to go there for a picnic in the Spring. Summer days we would go for a swim, and for the winters we would go skating. When they told me I was getting a sister or a brother… I used to go on and on about how I would show them the tricks they showed me when skating, or the kind of games I used to play in the summer. But… When we lost our home… When the Witch came… The lake had gotten plagued. We couldn't go back to it anymore." _

_Ruby noticed the tone of her voice change, her hand started to shake. _

"_... I can't help but think…" Cristal started pick back up again, "... About my sister… I know you and the others told me and dad that she disappeared… But I can't help but think what could've happened to her, you know? I have no idea where she could be… I don't want to start believing she's dead. Though, sometimes I think… What if the Witch has her? I get scared, and imagine how terrified she must be feeling… For all I know she could be torturing her." _

"_... If she does have her… Than we'll find out where this Witch is, and save her." Ruby said, "We're Huntsmen and Huntresses after all." _

_Cristal laughed softly, "... I don't doubt that you will. But… You haven't seen the Witch like I have." _

_Ruby looked confused at this, as she tilted her head slightly, as her tone changed again. "You sound scared." She said, "I thought you said you hated her." _

"_You're right, I do. I hate her for what she did to mom, Destiny and me, but-" Cristal said, "-When I saw her, she gave off… A __**terrifying**_ _presence. It was something I couldn't describe. Even the creatures of Grimm, the only beasts that could scare men away, trembled as she walked. I don't know what it is about her but… All I know is… Whatever she is, she isn't a human being nor is she a Fanus." _

"_You included yourself." Ruby pointed out as she sounded surprised, "Destiny's eye was replaced, but-What did she do to you?" _

_Her eyes widened as she realized Ruby's words. It hadn't been long before Ruby saw her start to shake._

"_Cristal?" Ruby said worried, "Are you okay?"_

"_I'm…" Cristal soon said, as she stood up, "... Gonna go see if dad needs help at the campsite. See you back there." _

_Without another word, she headed back in the direction of where they set up camp for the night with Senka following behind her, leaving Ruby to ponder on why she looked so frightened. _

(_**Ending Theme: The Promised Neverland Ending 1-Zettai Zetsumei Performed By Co shu Nie**_)


	9. Chapter 7: The Bad Luck Charm

-_**Atlas, Schnee Mansion**_-

After the charity event died down, everyone was sent home early, and everyone in the Schnee family had turned in for the night. It was late, and the twins had already fallen asleep, while Jacques had individually apologized to the guests about how Weiss had acted, and had his servants take them to their room, while Weiss went to her own had to have a little chat with him.

Weiss sat at the edge of the bed with her hands folded, as Jacques paced around her room.

"Unbelievable!" He exclaimed, at point stopping to turn to her, "Absolutely unbelievable! Do you have any idea what your stunt cost us!?"

"I-" Weiss tried to say before getting cut off.

"-And don't think I'm just talking about lien here!" Jacques said, "Our reputation! Our-Our-!"

Jacques stopped himself as he let out a groan. Weiss took a deep breath before she spoke her mind.

"_**I want to leave**_."

Jacques turned to his daughter, looking dumbfounded, "I beg your pardon?"

"I said I want to leave!" Weiss said, "I don't want to stay here anymore! I don't want to stay in Atlas anymore!"

"Young lady, I don't give a damn about what you want!" Jacques said to her, "This isn't about _**YOU**_. This is about the Schnee family name, and your apparent insistence on dragging it through the mud!"

Weiss felt offended as she stood before yelling, "I've done _**NOTHING**_ but fight to uphold the honor of _**MY**_ family name! A name that _**YOU**_ married into!"

_**SMACK!**_

Weiss froze up when she felt a burning sensation on her cheek, as she looked up to Jacques in just pure shock as Jacques had an incredulous look in his eyes. When he spoke again, he had a calmness in his voice, and yet she could sense an intimidation as he spoke.

"This behavior of yours in incredibly disappointing." He said, "You couldn't possibly understand the lengths I've gone through in order to keep this family where it is. You think running like your sister is going to make you a stronger Schnee? You're wrong. Siding with her, only divides us."

"I'm not siding with anyone!" She argued, "I'm doing what I feel is right, and it does NOT include wasting my time here with these clueless people here in Atlas! The Schnee family legacy isn't yours to lead! It's mine! And I'll do it as a Huntress!"

Jacques only rolled his eyes, though still had his smile. "No… You won't." He soon said, surprising her "You're not to leave the manor grounds unless _**I**_ specifically allow it."

"... Excuse me?" Weiss said surprised.

"You are going to remain here." He told her, "Out of sight, and out of trouble until you and I come to an agreement on your future."

Her eyes widened in disbelief at this. She couldn't believe what her father was saying! Hell, she couldn't exactly believe what she was suggesting.

"You can't be serious!" She yelled.

"Your presupposition that can simply have whatever it is you want." Jacques said, "It's a clear sign of our failure as parents, but from now on, I'll be giving you the full attention you require, starting by keeping you where I can see you."

He was really suggesting it, and yet she still couldn't believe it! If she needed more of a reason to hate her father, this would be it!

"You can't just keep me from leaving!" She argued.

"I can." He told her, sounding strangely calm, "And the staff here will make sure of it."

"Am I supposed to be your prisoner now!?"

"You are my daughter. You're a child, and children are grounded when they misbehave."

"This is only going to make things worse, Father! People will start asking questions! They'll want to know why the Heiress to the Schnee Dust Company is suddenly nowhere to be found!"

"Which is why… _**You're no longer the Heiress to the Schnee Dust Company**_."

Her jaw just dropped at her Father's words. Now she swore he was talking crazy right now, and the mere words of him, were about to drive her insane.

"... What…?" Was all she could muster at that point.

"Clearly the trauma you've endured at Beacon was too much for you." Her Father stated, "Which is why you've been generally revoked your claim to the company and its earning and passed it on to your brother."

She tried to digest what she had been hearing from him. She didn't want to believe this was real, or buy what she had been hearing. Right now, she wanted to believe this was all a bad dream.

"It's time to wake up and face reality." Jacques said.

With that he took his leave; just as he walked out the door, she had caught view of Whitely who had been eavesdropping on their conversation. She ran outside of the room when she saw him about to leave.

"**WHITELY!**" She shouted.

"Yes sister?" Whitely said turning to her.

She walked up to him, crossing her arms, "Did you know about this!?"

"About what?" He asked innocently.

"You never liked Winter, and you never liked me." Weiss said, "But you've been nothing but supportive since the moment I came back!"

"If being kind to my sister is some sort of crime…" He said all with a smile, "... Then I suppose I'm guilty."

Weiss had been confused at this sort of statement, but after a few moments she had put two and two together as her anger left her, "_**... You wanted this to happen**_**.**"

As Whitely spoke again, his face went from innocent to threatening in an instant, "It's foolish not to do what Father asks."

Disappointment and betrayal had been written on her face, "I… Can't believe you."

"Don't worry Weiss." He said, "The Schnee family name… _**Is in good hands**_."

Whitely turned and walked with his hands behind his backdown the large hallway, while Weiss just stood there stunned. She ran back to her room, landing face down on her bed as she began to sob. A dream, this all has to be a dream is what she told herself as she cried. She wanted to wake up, she wanted to be back at Beacon with her team where she was actually happy. She wanted to be back with the two girls she always thought of as her own sisters.

Cristal, and her baby sister as she liked to call her Destiny.

That's all she wanted. She wanted things to go back to the way they were.

But deep down, she knew it couldn't be so.

And that just made her even more upset.

"Weiss? Are you okay?"

Weiss picked up her head and saw it had been her sister, Nava. She had been caught up in her own thoughts she didn't realize that she had entered the room.

"Nava…" She sniffled, as she dried her tears, "... I thought you were asleep by now."

"I couldn't sleep. I… Overheard you father and Whitely…" She said softly as she sat at her bedside, "... I didn't think… He would want that to happen. I always thought I knew Whitely better then anyone else… I guess I was wrong."

Weiss saw the look on her face and it looked as though she was gonna cry herself. "Weiss I'm sorry. If I had known about this, I would've-"

"N-No." Weiss said, as she sat herself up, "Don't blame yourself. It's not your fault."

"It feels like it is…" Nava replied, "... I promised mother, that in the absence of you and Winter, I would look after Van, Nilla and Whitely for all of us, but no matter what I do it just seems like it's going nowhere." She couldn't help but laugh softly, "I honestly don't know how you and Winter endure through-All of this, what father does. You both always had the courage to go against him… But I never had that sort of strength."

"That's not true…" Weiss said, as she sat herself up, "... You've taken care of them this whole time, while I was away."

"Yeah…" Nava said, "... But it's still not enough. Father still keeps Van and Nilla here and manipulates them. He does the same with me… I'm not sure how much longer, we can take…"

Weiss was soon drawn to the sound of the ships flying outside just outside of her window. It was only then… She thought of something that would benefit them all.

"Hey Nava?" She said getting her attention, "What do you say… _**We leave this place?**_"

* * *

(_**Opening Theme: RWBY V4 Opening-Let's Just Live Performed By Casey Lee Williams**_)

-_**Oniyuri**_-

The whole group continued to walk through the abandoned village that was dubbed Oniyuri, as they couldn't help but look around the place once more. They shuddered at the mere thought of the atmosphere around them, as the storm brewed closer.

"This place…" Scout said as she shivered, "... It's like something out of a person's nightmares."

"Don't worry." Melody said comforting her, "We'll be out of here soon."

"Yeah." Ruby added with a smile, "We can put this place behind once we're out of here."

The group soon noticed exit ahead of them, each of them eager to get out of the place. Right before they could, Ren motioned for them to stop. For a moment he shut his eyes as he took a deep breath. Frosty started to growl softly just as Ren reached for his weapons; the rest of the group followed his lead as they armed themselves.

Everything had been quiet around them. The only thing that could be heard was the rough winds that blew from the coming storm. Even the crows had gone silent as if they knew something was coming.

Ren soon opened his eyes as he looked behind them.

They soon saw a man, fly overhead before landing right in front of them. The minute his feet touched the ground, he armed his weapons which had been a set of arm blades, before he charged at Ruby and Cristal.

Rosario and Ren were quick to stand in his way, as they went in for the attack.

Rosario threw her kicks at him, while Ren attacked him head on with his Storm Flowers. The man however, proved to be too quick, as he attacked back with twice the ferocity; he soon kicked them away catching them by surprise.

Despite the others blocking the way, had gotten through them with ease and went to attack Ruby and Cristal. They were quick to block his attacks with their blades in hand, though he proved to be too quick as he managed to land a hit on both of them; Ruby's Aura depleted while Cristal had two cuts on her scarred arm, making the two of them stumble back.

Melody and Jaune soon stepped in, as they charged at him. Arming her hand blade, Melody attempted to take him by surprise as she went to thrust her blade into his leg, in an attempt to slow him down. The man saw through this, and grabbed ahold of her arm pinning her.

She looked to him with a glare, but soon became paralyzed when his face had been close to hers; the smile on his face seemed to grow wider. Jaune went at him, armed with his sword and shield just as the man kicked Melody away, before he managed to land on his shield; he had given the same look that he did to Melody which made him jump.

Soon enough Scout and Nora went to attack, but he was quick to dodge Scout's blades and Nora's hammer. Just as he jumped Roman fired from his cane, which sent him flying straight into a building, though he held himself between the wooden frames.

As the dust cleared they had gotten a good look at his appearance.

The man that attacked them, had pale skin, with his long hair tied into a braid. He had on a dark brown jacket over his white jacket; though it was left open revealing scars in the middle of his chest and across his stomach. He wore white pants with his outfit with a rather large brown buckle belt. He also had piercings on his ears and on his arms he had on leather vambraces with a set of leather boots.

His eyes, looked to be that of gold, as he looked onto them.

The group had been quick to recover; Cristal did her best to hide the black blood before anyone had noticed.

"He a friend of yours Roman?" Rosario asked.

"Why the hell are you asking me?" Roman said.

"I'm asking because you used to hang with guys like him."

"Says the girl who was a bounty hunter."

"Guys, not now." Ruby told him and Rosario sternly.

"_The scent he's giving off… Why is it familiar…?_" Scout thought to herself before she yelled to him, "We don't want any trouble!"

"Yeah, we're not looking for a fight!" Jaune added.

"Who are you!?" Ren yelled.

The man smiled, before he dropped out of the building, landing on his feet with ease.

Finally he spoke as he stood, pointing to Ren, then Nora, Roman, Scout and Rosario, "Who I am, matters not to you, or you, or you former pawn, or you two, or-" He soon stopped when he looked to Jaune and Melody.

"Well, _**YOU**_ do interest me." He stated to Jaune before he said with a giggle looking to scythe wielder next to him, "_**YOU**_ especially my dear."

Jaune had been taken back by this as he looked to Melody who looked to have a fearful expression when he directed the statement towards her; for a moment she grasped her bandaged hand, as it had shook slightly.

The man soon gave a chuckle, "No… I only matter to the little Gem… _**And you**_."

Everyone turned to Cristal and Ruby as they looked surprised, as Cristal herself had a glare to the man before them, while Ruby looked just as confused as the rest of them.

"Me?" She said, tilting her head.

The man looked shocked at first, before he started to laugh, "You-You haven't the slightest clue do you!?" He said amusingly, "Oh, how _**EXCITING**_ this must be!"

The man continued to laugh as Cristal gritted her teeth and growled a little. She couldn't help growl as she herself began to change; the red eye started to appear on her forehead, flickering like that of a candlelight, which Ruby seemed to have taken notice.

She looked back to the man, "... What do you want?"

The man gasped dramatically.

"The rose has thorns!" He said; his reaction had been fake, "My little flower, I'm here to whisk you and the gem away with me."

Nora stepped in front of Ruby and Cristal, "And what if they don't want to go with you?"

He scrunched his lips as he stared, letting his arm fall to the side. "Well…" He said casually, "_**... I'll take them.**_"

Jaune, Melody and Roman soon stepped in between him and them.

"I don't know what the hell your deal is, but I won't let you take my cousin." Melody said.

"If you think I'm gonna let you take my daughter, then you got another thing coming!" Roman said, holding his Melodic Cudgel towards him.

"Whoever you are… We're not going to let you do that." Jaune said.

The man laughed once more as he looked to them with a smile, "_**... Good.**_"

Just as they blinked, the man disappeared from their line of sight. He appeared behind them, ready to attack Jaune.

"**JAUNE!**" Ren exclaimed, before he fired. He aimed for Jaunes shield allowing the bullets to ricochet off of his shield, but the man blocked the oncoming bullets with ease.

The man however blocked with ease, before Melody and Roman charged as Ren continued to fire.

The man used Jaune's shield as he spun, successfully kicking Melody away before she could even attack. Roman fired from his weapon, attempting to knock the man off; However he leaped off Jaunes shield, just as Jaune himself protected him from the blast. Ruby went to where the man was going to land, however he kicked her away before she could try anything, she nearly hitting Melody who had just recovered.

Jaune used his sword to gain the upperhand, only proving to be futile with the man, as he proved to be flexible. He brought his foot down on Jaunes head, before he shoved him away, turning his sights towards Scout, Nora and Rosario.

Seeing Nora, Ruby hatched an idea. Winking to them she armed her Crescent Rose with bullets laced with a specific type of Dust.

She pulled the trigger as she fired causing the man to stop just as the bullet flew past him. Scout grabbed Rosario's hand and the bullet went through her before it hit Nora behind them, knocking her over.

The man looked confused, but proceeded to laugh, not realizing everyone else had there own smiles.

"Well-" The man said, "-If that isn't ironic!"

He soon lost his mirth when he noticed the smiles on their faces. Nora had stood upright, with the biggest smile on her face; the electricity surged through her body. Just as the man turned to look behind him Nora, rushed him from behind.

At that moment, Scout's ears twitched on her head before her eyes widened when she picked up a familiar scent.

"**NORA! WAIT!**" Scout exclaimed trying to stop her.

Nora swung her hammer, creating a dust cloud, causing everyone to shield their eyes from the sheer backlash. When it soon cleared, they were in for quite a shock. Before their very eyes, they saw what emerged from his coat, just attached to his lower back.

It had been a scorpion's tail.

The man giggled, as he curled his fingers, "Surprise~!"

He kicked Nora's twice, knocking her off her feet, before he leaped high into the air, landing on a rooftop nearby; leaving his coat behind. He stood, looking to the group still with a smile plastered on his face.

"You have got to be kidding me!" Cristal exclaimed as she was in shock by this.

"He's… A Fanus!?" Ren said as shocked as she had been.

"It's as I thought!" Scout said, "He must've been hiding his tail around his waist!"

"And you waited till now to say something!?" Rosario couldn't help but yell.

"I'm sorry!" She said, "I'm just not used to seeing another Fanus other then my mother, okay!?"

"What is this about!?" Ruby shouted to the man, "The White Fang!? Roman's betrayal!?"

"Plastic soldiers and pawns!" The man replied as his tail swayed, "My heart and body not only belong to my darling Eclipse, but they belong to our _**Goddess**_!"

The group looked confused by this sort of statement. "Goddess? Darling Eclipse?" Melody said raising an eyebrow.

"Is he… Talking about Cinder?" Ruby said, looking to Rosario and Roman.

"Hey, she's many things, but she's not a Goddess." Roman replied.

"What he said." Rosario added, "And she's definitely not the darling type."

The man merely scoffed at this, "Only in her wildest dreams!"

Suddenly the man was just in between Ruby and Jaune before he attacked. Cristal went to help her out as she countered his attacks. Though they couldn't land a single hit as the man kicked them both away again. He soon turned his attention over to Ren, Melody and Rosario as he used his tail to attack them.

They were quick and careful to avoid his stinger, but they couldn't react when they felt his tail hit them sending them flying. Jaune, Scout, Nora and Roman went to attack him, though he ended up maneuvering them, and attacking them with his tail.

He soon turned his attention towards Ren, Rosario and Melody. The three of them managed to dodge his tail and went to counter, but once again, the Attacker proved to be quick on his feet. With the swing of his tail he caught them all by surprise as he sent each of them flying into the buildings nearby.

Roman went to attack him again as he fired from his weapon. The Attacker moved quickly before charging at him head on. He barely managed to block him as he came at him hard and fast. Each time he hit him, he deplated a significant amount of Aura.

Cristal went into to act, as she kicked the Attacker away from Roman, just as he himself stumbled.

"**GET YOUR HANDS OFF MY DAD!**" Cristal yelled as she readied her blades.

The attacker only laughed, as he caught her by surprise when he suddenly disarmed her of one of her blades. Before she could counter, he suddenly hit her hard across the face, leaving a noticeable bruise, before he hit her in the stomach and leaving cuts along her arm and leg.

"**CRISTAL!**" Ruby yelled, before she used her semblance. She was able to shove Cristal out of the way, though had been sent flying instead as the attacker swept her off her feet. Just before she could land, he ran to the opposite side, delivering a kick into her stomach, breaking her aura completely.

She toppled onto the ground landing on her side, near her Crescent Rose. She tried to get up but the pain had been too great, even as her Aura tried desperately to heal her. The Attacker soon towered over her as he prepared to attack with his tail; his eyes changed from gold to purple with a blink.

"**DON'T TOUCH HER YOU SON OF A-**" Melody yelled before she had been cut off. The minute she tried to move, she suddenly found herself binded by an unknown force. "Melody!?" Rosario shouted, "What's-!"

Rosario soon stopped in mid sentence when she found herself freezing by an unknown force. The group soon felt this as they soon started to struggle.

"I-I can't move!" Ren said.

"Same here!" Jaune added as he struggled.

"What's happening?!" Scout exclaimed.

"Ruby!" Melody yelled.

"Red!" Roman shouted.

Cristal struggled to use her abilities to at least protect Ruby but all that could come out was sparks. "_What is this!?_" She exclaimed in her thoughts, "_What the hell is this!? Why can't I use my magic!?_"

Cristal flinched when the pulse came again; despite her being bounded it made her freeze up.

"_The presence again-?!_" Cristal thought before a sudden realization came over her, "_-Don't tell me-But-It couldn't be-!_"

The Stranger soon readied his stinger, and Ruby prepared herself for the worst as she squeezed her eyes shut. He went to attack-

_**BOOM!**_

_**CLANG!**_

Ruby had been taken back at an odd sound, as had been the rest. As Ruby opened her eyes she saw a familiar man standing before her, as she had recognized him by his weapon. She smiled as Qrow smiled back at her.

"Hey." He said before he kicked the Stranger off of him.

The rest of the group felt the strange bindings disappear as they all fell on their knees gasping as if they were trying to catch their breath. With a spin of the sword, Qrow turned to the Stranger as the Stranger himself gave a laugh.

"As I live and breath!" He said, "The famous father of the little songbird… Qrow Branwen." He bowed his head, "A true Huntsman, has entered the fray!"

Melody quickly went over to Ruby to help her up, as she picked up her Crescent Rose. It wasn't long till they noticed Qrow giving them a questioning look.

"Don't look at us." Melody said with a shrug.

"This guy is weird." Ruby added.

Qrow turned back to the Stranger, "Look pal, I'm not sure who you are… But you need to leave my niece alone."

The Stranger chuckled, "Why friend, my name is Tyrian, and I'm afraid that's not possible. _**Our **_assignment from her grace was to retrieve this young girl." He looked to Cristal as she shrunk slightly, "And she would very much like to see you dear little Gem."

"Don't call her that!" Roman yelled.

The Stranger named Tyrian chuckled, "So intense Roman Torchwick. We're only doing as we are told. After all, one does not upset the Queen."

"You're Queen?" Melody said, "And… What do you mean by we?"

"Salem." They suddenly heard Qrow say aloud, which confused them all the more. "Salem?" The whole group excluding Roman and Cristal said in unison. Cristal's expression changed into a glare as she looked to Tyrian.

"Who's Salem?" Ruby asked.

"I think we've had enough talk now, don't you?" Tyrian said to Qrow.

He crouched like a predator would to a prey as he readied himself.

"You took the words right out of-"

Before Qrow could finish, Tyrian charged at him suddenly nearly catching him by surprise. Blades started to clash as they attacked one another. They dodged each of them as it went back and forth with each other. As Tyrian went to strike Qrow retaliated with a kick taking Tyrian by surprise. As he went to attack with his sword, Tyrian had been quick to block it creating a tremendous force, that caused a building nearby to break.

Leaving the Fanus just downright impressed.

Qrow gave a smile, though Tyrian's grin seemed to have grown wider.

_**CLICK**_-Qrow soon heard before he found Tyrian flipping back unveiling a gun compartment. He started to circle around Qrow as fired from his weapons. Luckily Qrow had been quick to block each and everyone of the shots fired towards him, but that didn't seem to stop him as he continued to laugh.

Roman looked to Nora, Ren, Scout and Rosario as he signaled them. As if they could read his thoughts the five of them went to attack as they charged at Tyrian, attempting to get him from behind as they were armed to the teeth.

Tyrian bent his back and licked his lips suddenly causing them to flinch. He blocked their attacks and simon tansley kicked them away making them grunt. Tyrian had been about to charge, the closest one being Cristal though Qrow stood between him and her as their blades clashed again.

"Don't come any closer!" He told them before he engaged with the man again.

"Fine!" Ruby shouted to Qrow, before she took Crescent Rose from Melody, "Back him up!"

"You don't have to tell me twice cuz!" Melody said as she armed herself with her scythe. Ruby made her move despite the protest from the others; she jumped onto the building nearby and positioned herself to get a shot on Tyrian, while Melody engaged him along with her father.

Though they were moving so fast, she couldn't get a clear shot on him without hitting her uncle and cousin.

Despite Qrow, being practically in shock that his flesh and blood jumped into the battle he and her attacked with ferocity, though surprisingly enough Tyrian himself had been able to hold his ground even though there had been two. He dodged everytime they threw their blades at him.

At one point he stood on his tail and aimed his guns at Melody as she had been recovering from an earlier attack. Qrow quickly got in front of her and blocked the oncoming bullets, however this only provided an opening for Tyrian.

With the help of his tail he wrapped it around his wrist and yanked hard, causing his sword to fly out of his hand and get stuck into a wall nearby. Melody had been about to rush him, though Qrow had been quick to stop her, as Tyrian stood up with a laugh.

It hadn't been long before the Fanus felt something go by his head. Turns out Ruby had fired a shot, though ultimately ended up missing. All he did was giggle before he deflected each of the bullets with his tail.

Qrow looked at his fist before shrugging. Melody had been caught by surprise when he threw a punch at the Fanus, making him stumble and cry out. Left and right, he kept throwing his punches before he gave Tyrian a kick causing him to fly.

The Huntsman soon walked over to his weapon as Tyrian just sat there; though the group couldn't help but wonder as to why. The moment he touched the handle of his weapon, Tyrian made his move. He charged at him, attempting to catch him off guard though Qrow flipped onto his weapon. He activated his scythe, firing a round as he pushed himself upward onto a wooden beam that Tyrian had been quick to break as he launched himself.

They both exchanged blows once more as they went at each other with more ferocity. It wasn't long before he spotted a broken beam as he blocked Tyrian's blades again. Pushing him off, he ran towards it, leading tempting the man to go for his next attack.

He leaped high into the air attempting to kick him above the head, however the moment Qrow backed up his foot hit the beam and he fell into the building.

That didn't stop him from wrapping his tail around his ankle and dragging him down with him.

"Dad!" Melody exclaimed before she ran to the building.

From where Cristal stood, she finally had enough; her eye changed to gold as she followed behind Melody.

"Cristal! It's way too dangerous!" Roman yelled, running after her.

Ruby soon hopped down from the building joining her cousin and friend going to the building where Qrow and Tyrian had fallen. The four of them stopped in their tracks when there was a sudden explosion, causing them to skid to a halt.

Qrow came flying out, using his Harbinger to catch himself before he stood tall. They noticed his Aura, in the color of dark red shimmer around his body.

Out of the dust and grimace, Tyrian came flying out as he armed himself, while Qrow flipped off of his weapon and went to attack.

As Tyrian leaped high into the air going in on the offensive, the three girls stepped in right between him and Qrow preventing him from attacking taking everyone back.

"Guys!" Jaune yelled.

"Do you two wish to be taken!?" Tyrian said to Ruby and Cristal, ignoring Melody entirely.

"No!" Ruby answered, "But I'm not gonna stand by, and watch someone else get hurt!"

"I ain't gonna just sit around, and watch someone die again!" Cristal yelled before she charged first, her hand lighting up with a purple shade.

Just as she was inches from his face, she felt the unknown force again, and the presence she felt before came again.

"The hell!?" She exclaimed, "Again!?"

Her eyes widened when she noticed something off. It was the shadow he had been casting, as they looked to be in pairs, as it had a different figure entirely. It had a figure of a girl, as it looked as though the shadow had horns on their head. The only thing that stood out was the horns looked to be in the color of red.

"What the-"

She didn't have a chance to finish her thought, as Tyrian kicked her in the stomach, causing her to fall onto the floor hard. Ruby, Melody and Qrow soon went in and attacked with their weapons. He managed to kick Qrow off, before he fired upon the two young girls while Roman tended to his daughter. They were both able to block the bullets before Melody went to attack.

She swung her scythe at him but all he did was laugh as he dodged. His eyes changed to purple before his hand landed on her arm as her Aura seemed to have depleted suddenly. Before she could even register this, he let out a powerful kick, snapping her arm in two, forcing her to drop her weapon. She let out a shriek before she fell on her side.

"**MELODY!**" Ruby exclaimed.

"**WREN!**" Qrow shouted, rushing to his daughter's side, and he helped her to sit up as she grasped her arm.

Ruby let out a growl and glared before she charged at Tyrian with full force; their blades clashed with one another creating sparks. With his eyes still purple he thrusted his stinger towards her before she could even have a chance to react. Qrow was quick to jump in front of Ruby and blocked his stinger.

"Ruby!" He yelled, "What did I say!? Get back!"

"This is _**MY**_ fight too!" Ruby argued.

She went to attack Tyrian from behind, aiming for his legs, but he jumped over it with ease. His attention was drawn to Ruby, as he still held Qrow's ground.

"No, it's not that!" He started to say, "It's-!"

Ruby didn't give him time to finish as she charged at Tyrian once more. With a flip he sent her back flying towards the building behind her. One of the beams on the rooftop suddenly gave out, surprising her. Qrow went and sliced the beam in two before it could hit her.

She gave him a smile of gratitude as he smiled back but-

"**AHH!**"

From across his abdomen there was a fresh cut suddenly, taking everyone by surprise as Ruby looked horrified. Turns out Tyrian was the one that gave him the cut via his stinger; he gave a laugh as his smile grew wider.

Ruby did something that everyone didn't expect. With her Crescent Rose, she placed it's blade on his stinger before she pulled the trigger.

Tyrian let out a cry as purple liquid started to leak out of his stinger had been, causing him to reel back and his tail to curl.

"You bitch!" He yelled towards Ruby, as he armed himself again as he was prepared to attack.

He fired a couple of rounds at Ruby, though she blocked it this time. With her Crescent Rose, she was ready to take him out; that's when Cristal saw the second shadow move on it's own again.

"**RUBY, WAIT!**" Cristal shouted, "**HIS SHADOW-!**"

Ruby let out a cry before she went to attack, only realizing too late that something seemed to have emerged from the ground. It looked to be that of a steampunk style, large bladed halberd, and a human like hand held onto the handle.

It wasn't long before she felt herself get shoved to the ground, and the color of red, seemed to have filled the air. After Ruby recovered she let out a gasp when she saw who had been standing in her place.

It was Roman Torchwick himself.

A fresh wound was seen between his neck and collarbone. His attacker had been a girl, no more then nineteen, wearing that of geist mask; the horns on her head looked to have a pattern as it glowed a dim red glow before it vanished with but a flicker.

She appeared to have crawled out of the ground which surprised them as their jaws seemingly dropped.

She removed the blade from Roman, and hit the floor as his blood seeped through his clothes. "**DAD!**" Cristal yelled, running to him, and taking him into her arms, "**DADDY NO!**"

Ruby looked to the girl just shocked by how she appeared what might as well have been thin air. She held her halberd towards them as to keep them back as they had their weapons in case she decided to attack. She had gone over to Tyrian and placed her hand on his shoulder, before she kneeled, moving her hand to his cheek.

"Elise…" They heard him say softly, as she leaned her forehead against his as if it had been a comforting gesture.

Ruby flinched when the girl, called Elise turned her. Even though she had a mask on, she could tell her look could kill. With her blade drenched, she was about to move in to attack but-

"No!" Tyrian said grasping her arm, stopping her, before saying softly, "... _**She'll forgive us**_."

Elise looked to Tyrian, and looked to the damage, before coming to a conclusion. She turned back to Ruby, before she spoke with a soft cold voice.

"You… _**Shall pay**_..."

The red markings appeared once more before the group had been taken back by a bright gray, purple light appearing in the palm of her hand, forcing them to shut their eyes. When they opened, they saw that Tyrian and Elise were both gone.

"They… Vanished!?" Jaune exclaimed.

"Where did they go!?" Rosario said.

Qrow soon let out a cry as he fell to his knees dropping his weapon.

"Dad!" Melody exclaimed running over to him.

"Uncle Qrow!" Ruby yelled doing the same, "Are you okay!?"

Qrow caught his breath as he looked to his niece and daughter with a smile, "I'll be fine… He just grazed me."

Scout soon approached him with her bag, "That wound you have looks deep. Let me take a look at it for you!"

"Before you do that…" Qrow said to the young Fanus, gesturing to Roman, "... Go check on him. He needs you more then me…"

"But-" Scout started to say looking to Roman then back to him, "-But I need to-I should-"

"Scout." Ruby soon said, snapping her back into reality. She gave her a comforting smile, "Go help Roman. He needs you."

"It's okay partner." Melody said patting her on the head, "We won't get mad."

Scout gulped, but eventually nodded her head before she stepped to Roman. Cristal cradled him in her arms as she sobbed. Rosario was there to comfort her as she patted her on the shoulder.

"Daddy please…" She sobbed, "... Please don't die… We still have to find Destiny… Remember…?"

Scout kneeled beside her as she looked him over, as Cristal soon picked up her head.

"Please…" She begged, "... Can you help him…?"

"You have my word…" Scout said, "... I'll save him."

Cristal still sobbed, as Scout motioned her to set him on the ground, before she went to work. Of course, everyone else had questions for the Huntsman, and it had been a whole lot of them.

"Who were those people?" Nora asked.

"How did you get here?" Ren added.

"Why are people after Ruby too?" Jaune added.

"That girl used magic, like Cristal did." Melody said, "Is there more of her, and who the hell is this Salem?"

Qrow tried to work through the pain, though couldn't bring himself to answer right now.

"Uncle Qrow…" Ruby soon spoke up, "... What's going on?"

Finally he picked up his head, as he only asked them one question.

"... What's your favorite fairytale?"

(_**Ending Theme: The Promised Neverland Ending 1-Zettai Zetsumei Performed By Co shu Nie**_)


	10. Chapter 7 Epilogue: The Lost Princess

-_**Beacon, Night of the Fall**_-

Pyrrha placed Destiny on the ground as she went to throw her shield just as Cinder fired her arrow. As the two collided, the arrow broke itself apart, before putting itself back together just as the shield past. The arrow soon hit Pyrrha in the ankle causing her to cry out and Cristal to jump at her scream. She tried to stand up, but the pain in her ankle had been too great; the flower in her hair glowed a violent red as Cinder stepped towards her.

"It's unfortunate, you were promised a power that was never truly yours…" Cinder said as she circled her.

She soon kneeled before putting her hand underneath her chin to get her to look at her, "But take comfort in knowing…" Cinder said, "... That I will use in ways… You cannot imagine."

Pyrrha removed her head from her hand as she looked Cinder in the eye, asking only one thing.

"...Do you believe in destiny…?"

"... Yes."

Despite the amount of pain the child had been in, Destiny rolled over on her stomach, before she made her way towards Pyrrha. She managed to get behind her as she reached out to her taking her hand.

"...P… y… ra…?" She groaned as she felt Pyrrha's hand shake a little, "... P… y… ra…?"

She felt Pyrrha tighten her grip just as Cinder materialized her bow and another arrow. "No!" Cristal exclaimed as she desperately tried to create another barrier to appear in front of Pyrrha, "No! No! No! No!"

"Destiny…" Pyrrha soon whispered, "... Thank you…"

And just like that, she let go of the string and let the arrow fly hitting Pyrrha in the chest, and Cristal froze at the sight. Pyrrha only gasped as she reached for the arrow and within a matter of a few moments, Destiny felt her hand go limp. Cinder tossed her bow down as she put her hand onto Pyrrha's head, just as her eyes lost its color before her entire body glowed a bright orange.

Before Cristal's very eyes, her body turned to ash, and blew away in the wind.

The only thing that had been left of her, was her crown, the flower that started to flicker red, and the bracelet to which had laid in Destiny's hand.

Cristal had been left stunned as she went over to where Pyrrha once was, with Cinder watching her do so. With her hands shaking she picked up the crown, looking to it for only a few moments before tears began to fall onto the ground and crown, just as she saw her sister's tears fall despite the fact she couldn't change her expression at the moment.

"No…!" She cried as she hugged the crown, "... No…!... Pyrrha…!"

Cinder only watched as Cristal continued to sob, completely forgetting the fact that she had been in front of them. It hadn't been long before she noticed the flower on the floor, as it still flickered like that of a light bulb. She picked it up off the floor, taking a closer look at it before she smiled.

"Now this is a surprise." She said to herself, "To think one would be here in a place like this."

She chuckled as she turned to the two girls in front of her, "Looks like I get to kill two birds… With one stone."

Cinder soon reached out to Cristal, though just before she could do anything-

"**PYRRHA!**"

The whole world soon turned to white, as a scream from Cristal was soon heard.

* * *

_Destiny felt the breeze blow in her face as she slowly started to come too. She didn't find herself back on the rooftop of Beacon with Pyrrha nor her sister. Instead she found herself in a place where the sun was at its highest point. She sat herself up as she found herself in what looked to be a golden field. _

_In the very center she a fountain the size of a lake, with a tree that sat at the center of it. _

_She stood up, surveying the area around her as she walked through the golden field, towards a stone walkway. _

"_Where… Am I?" _

_She soon noticed that there wasn't any pain in her body, not even in her chest or abdomen, as she felt herself. She should've been relieved, but she felt the opposite. Instead she couldn't help but panic at this. _

"_Where's-" _

_She ran onto the stone pathway as she looked around, "Cristal! Pyra!? Ruby!? Is anyone here!?"_

"_There's no need to be frightened child. You are in a safe place." _

_Destiny flinched slightly at a voice she wasn't familiar with. She turned to see a man sitting at the edge of the fountain. A man, dressed in nothing but purple, as even his short disheveled hair had been in that particular shade. She noticed a set of horns growing from his forehead that looked to be segmented, as he turned to her, deducing that he was a Fanus, but she noticed the state of his eyes as she gasped. _

_The man reached out to her, as he smiled, "Come my child." _

_Destiny hesitantly approached the man, finding herself within only a few moments in front of the man which surprised her as she suddenly found her hand in his own. _

_She had gotten a closer look, noticing that the man's eyes were discolored and grey. _

"_You're… Blind…" She said softly. _

"_That I maybe my child…" The man said, "... But I can see the world more clearly then you and others have." _

_The man motioned her to sit, to which she did, though she was still hesitant in doing so. "There's no need to be frightened." He told her, "You are safe here." _

"_Who-" She started to say, "-Who are you?" _

_The man chuckled softly as he picked up the child, setting her on his lap, "You do not know me by name, but I do know you. I've been watching over you, since the day you were given life. So… Why don't you call me, your Guardian Angel?" _

_Destiny looked a little shocked, before she nodded in understanding as she couldn't help but look around again as she seemed to have come to a realization, as she seemed to have calmed down. _

"_I'm not dreaming… Am I?" She asked him. _

_The man raised an eyebrow at this, as he appeared to look amused, "What makes you say that?" _

"_This place…" She replied, "... I feel like I've been here before. But I just can't figure out where." _

_The man-Her Guardian Angel looked to be interested at this before he asked, "What is the last thing you remember?" _

_Destiny thought about it for a moment, her head ache slightly as she did her best to recall. "Beacon." She soon said, "I was at Beacon, with Cristal. The Grimm they came into the school and in the city. I left to go and calm the Wyvern, but something happened before I could and then-" _

_Destiny's words trailed off, as her eyes widened in shock and horror. _

"_Cristal! Pyra! My dad! Everyone!" She exclaimed pushing herself away from the man, "Where-Where are they!? Are they alright!?" _

"_You're father and sister are alright, your friends as well." He told her, "They survived the Grimm invasion. The same however… Can't be said about Pyrrha Nikos."_

_At this, tears began to form as she looked to the man with disbelief. "N-No…" She choked, "She-She can't be-! That can't be true-!" She gripped the man's shirt as she looked up to him, "Sh-She can't be gone! She and the others! She promised, so she can't be… Can't be…" _

_Her words trailed off, as she leaned against the man's chest as she started to sob softly. Her Guardian Angel gave her a pat on the back as to comfort her. _

"_It's alright to cry little one…" He told her, "... You're only human after all." _

_She picked up her head as to look at the man before her, despite that he couldn't look back at her. "I'm never going to see her again, aren't I?" _

"_That's… __**Not entirely true**__." Her Guardian Angel soon responded with. _

_Destiny had been taken back as she looked up to him surprised again, she tilted her head, before she felt the man's hand on her cheek, his thumb had been underneath her Grimm eye. _

"_There's a reason why you haven't been able to see me, until now." Her Guardian Angel said, "And the reason is because of what you and your sister were forced to become." _

"_What do you mean?" Destiny asked. _

"_You're bodies, the extension of your magic were not the only things that changed…" Her Guardian Angel replied, "... You were both infected with a curse, or to be more precise, you're both under __**her**_ _curse" _

"_... Her… Curse?" She said shocked. _

"_You and your sister, are both linked back to the one that changed you." He explained, "She will not allow you to die by normal means. Everytime you and her are on the brink, she will bring you back, no matter how impossible it may seem." _

_Her looked softened as she placed her hand on her chest as she came to realization. _

"_Daddy and Cristal…" She said, "They told me… When I was shot… The bullet had gotten stuck in my heart. Back then… It __**SHOULD'VE**_ _killed me." _

"_You were in constant pain, not because of any normal illness." Her Guardian Angel told her, "It was because you kept on dying and coming back because of the curse." _

"_That's why I kept having those attacks…" She said softly, "... And even after, I was stuck in the Wyvern, when I felt myself fade when I was free, I felt something grab a hold of me… You mean she did that too?" _

_This time, the man didn't answer, instead he only pulled her back into a hug which took the child back, but she leaned into his embrace. It wasn't long before she realized something, "Wa-Wait…" She said, "... If she could bring me back whenever I'm on the brink of death… Then how am I here…? Shouldn't I be… Awake now?" _

"_Because there is one thing she can't bring you back from." He told her, "Only one thing can bring you here, and that is the True Light." _

"_True… Light…?" She said. _

_An image passed her by, as she recalled the last thing she saw before everything went dark and the last thing she heard was her sister screaming. _

"_You mean… That White Light?" She asked, "I-I don't understand…" _

_Her Guardian Angel soon lifted her up off the ground as he stood; despite him being blind, she could plainly see that he was able to get around well as he never set foot into the water._

"_What happens now Little One, is up to you." He told her, as he paced, "As of right now, the curse has no power over you here." _

"_What does that mean?" She asked. _

"_I'm offering you a choice." He explained, "Your friend, I can take you to her, and you can be with her again. And… You'll finally be with your mother." _

_Destiny gasped as she looked to the man with wide eyes. It looked as though she was about to cry at this. "I can… Meet my mom…? I can… See Pyra…?" She said rubbing her eyes, "... But… That would mean-I would-" _

_He only nodded his head. _

"_... Everyone has to let go my child." He told her gently, wiping away her tears, "It's only a matter of when." _

"_You said I had choice…" She said, "... What would be the other…?" _

_Her Guardian Angel set her on the ground as he helped her to stand, "I can put you back where you were before. You'll have a chance to be with your loved ones and you will still have your magic. However in order to do so, I need something from you." _

"_... What would that be…?" _

"_In exchange for going back…" _

_The Guardian Angel soon gestured to her lower half of her body, particularly her left side. _

"_... __**All I ask for is your leg**__." _

_Destiny looked down to her left leg as she just surprised, "But why would you need it?" She asked, "You don't really need my leg." _

_The Guardian Angel chuckled, "It's about the need for it dear child. In order to gain something one must first lose something. For you to go back, you must pay with your leg. But know this… Even with my power, I cannot lift the curse you were bestowed. That is something, you, your sister and __**her **__must break on your own." _

_Destiny started to go over her choices, as she looked at her hands. When she thought about it, she realized, she never did have the chance to meet her mother. She went to the other place when she was a baby, and she only knew her mother through the stories her father and sister told. She wanted to see her, she wanted to be able to talk to her herself, and she would do anything to make it so. _

_But then… _

… _She thought of her father and Cristal. _

_She thought back to all the times she spent, and how she and her were separated from him. She missed him, and it was more then she could bare. The whole time she and Cristal were held hostage her father was the only thing she thought about the whole time. She thought of how it pained him to be away from them for so long, and how lonely he must've felt. _

_They were the only things that had left from the love of his life after all. They were basically living proof that the time he spent with their mother was real. _

_It became clear to her, of what choice she had to make. _

"_Well Little One?" Her Guardian Angel asked, "Have you made your choice?" _

_Destiny took a deep breath, as she looked to her feet, "Pyrrha… Or Pyra as I've known her… Was among the few to accept me for who I was and what the Witch turned me into. If she hadn't been killed, I know she would've made a great mom for those that would live in the future. And my mom… I've only known the kind of person she was through stories my dad and sister told me. How she was like Cristal and I, how she met my dad, even her faults I grew to love her anyway. I would do anything if it meant I could see her and talk to her, even if it's only once. But-"_

_She picked up her head, despite the tears in her eyes she had a bright smile on her face, "-I can't do that, without hurting Cristal, my dad, and the others. My mom and Pyra, wouldn't that of me either."_

_Her Guardian Angel seemed pleased with this, as he smiled back, "... Is that your final decision child?"_

_Destiny wiped away her tears before she gave her reply, "... Yes." _

"_Then allow me, to put you back where you were." The Guardian Angel said, holding out his hand to her. _

_Destiny reached out to take his hand, and though there was a slight hesitation she felt her fingers touch the man's large palm. His hand soon trapped her own, as she soon saw a purple light overtake her veins, reaching all over her body wrapping. Her left leg began from up above her knew began to disappear into ash, as she was surprised there was no pain. The whole plain she was in seemed to have evaporated leaving behind only a white plain as her body glowed a familiar white glow. _

_The Guardian Angel soon leaned in, as her vision became more consumed by the white void as she heard him say with but a whisper. _

"_If you wish to control your gifts… You need only ask for_ _**Jin**__."_

_And thus… Even the Guardian Angel too, had vanished. _

* * *

The sound of a rooster went from one ear and out the other as she opened her eyes. She found herself staring upon a wooden ceiling as the sun rose through the windows. She heard the sound of animals just outside, ranging from that of horses, chickens and sheep.

She let out a groan as she sat up, rubbing her eyes not surprised to find that her eyepatch wasn't there. Though she had been curious as to what had surrounded her. The sounds of the animals became more clear, and as she looked out the window, she saw no buildings in sight. Instead, she saw the clear blue sky without anything blocking it in view.

"Where… Where am I…?"

Destiny soon realized that she had been laying on a bed in clothes different to ones she had one originally, as she had been wearing a simple t-shirt with a set of brown pants. She removed the covers and she could see her right leg was there, but as for left it was gone. All that was left was that of a nub where her knee should've connected.

Her Guardian Angel took it, is what she ended up reminding herself.

But then she noticed something else quite odd.

She knew she wasn't connected to her medicine like she normally was he would feel that familiar burning intense pain right about now.

Though much to her surprise… The pain wasn't there. In fact… It was like it wasn't there at all.

"Huh?"

She tugged her shirt slightly as she had a small and peculiar scar to where the needle puncture should be.

"Wha-What? When did-"

_**CLICK.**_

She jumped when she heard the door in front of her unlock. Panicking, she placed her hand over her left eye as to hide the infected from whoever came in.

She saw it had been a boy who stepped into the room, as he possessed tanned skin, short black hair and hazel eyes with the iris of his eyes being a forest green. He had on a white shirt with laces across the chest with the sleeves rolled up to the elbows with a set of orange suspenders to hold up his olive pants. On it had a single patch, and quilted cloth that she noticed hung loosely from his left pocket and had on a set of brown boots.

He looked to be caring a side bag of bandages and medicine.

The moment his eyes looked to her, he looked relieved.

"You're awake!" He said, "We were starting to get worried."

Destiny looked on edge as she put both of her hands over her eye; now realizing that her entire right arm, and only up to the elbow of her left arm had been bandaged. The boy approached her slowly, as he had his hands raised.

"It's okay." He reassured her, sitting on the bedside, "I'm not gonna hurt you, I promise."

Destiny still had been on guard as she hit the wall behind her. He soon took out a bottle of medicine and the bandages from the side bag. He reached out slowly, taking her bandaged hands, though he could feel her fight it.

He saw her shake her head, as if she had been protesting.

"Don't be afraid." He said to her gently, as she had been taken back by this tone of voice, "I just want to help you."

Destiny looked to the young boy, noting the look in his eyes. It had been genuine, sincere.

It reminded her of those familiar silver eyes she had met back at Vale.

She hadn't realized she let her guard down as the boy gently pried her hands from her face, showing off her Grimm infected eye.

She expected him to cower, but had been surprised that he didn't as he started to change her bandages.

Finally she spoke, "... You're not… Scared?"

"You mean of your eye?" He asked casually not taking his eyes off, "I mean, it was a shock when I first saw it, but… I don't see anything wrong with it."

She was surprised at his words, and to be honest she actually felt, touched. No one has ever said anything like that before. The only ones that did, were her first real friends the day she showed them.

"Do you have a name?" The boy asked as he finished as he started to apply the medicine on her arms; making a mental note for the child that the wounds she had looked to be fresh burns.

She was hesitant, but she soon found herself replying, "... De-Destiny. What about you?"

The boy soon answered, giving her a comforting smile, "My name is Oscar."


	11. Chapter 8: Hello?

(_**Opening Theme: RWBY V4 Opening-Let's Just Live Performed By Casey Lee Williams**_)

_Fire had surrounded the night sky as the sound of Grimm could be heard roaring and screeching in the distance as well as screams. Gunfire could be heard overhead as one by one more of the Grimm came into the small town, frightening that of a baby who's crying seemed to have pierced through all the chaos. _

_A young mother had her cradled in her arms, doing her best to soothe her as she had been going through the house, grabbing what looked to be supplies and what looked to be ammunition before she stuffed the supplies into a bag, along with a stuffed bear. She was soon drawn to the baby she was holding as the little one reached out to her. _

_She looked at the young baby as it looked as though the young infant had her left eye covered with a small eyepatch. _

"_Shh, there now little one." She said gently as she went into the living room, bouncing her gently, and giving her a kiss on the cheek calming the little one, "Mommy's here. Mommy's right here." _

"_I… I'm sorry…" _

_The young mother turned to a little girl no more then six, as she had been wearing white casual PJs. Her hair had been in the color of orange as only two sections of her bangs had transitioned to magenta, and her eyes had been that of purple, like that of her mother. _

_She had been in tears as she held an expression of guilt. _

_The young mother bared a warm soft smile as she approached the child, "__**Cristal**_…_Sweetheart, it's alright." _

"_I was only playing!" She sobbed, "I didn't mean to use magic!"_

_She placed her hand on her head ruffling her hair slightly, "... I know dear. None of this is your fault. They're just some things we're not meant to control." _

_She set the baby on the sofa, before taking a coat and scarf; she helped Cristal put it on, making sure she was bundled up. _

_The child sobbed, "Will daddy really be okay?" _

"_I know your father better then anyone else." The mother reassured, "He's stronger then any other Huntsman or Huntress I've come to know. Even if the world tells him it can't be so, he'll fight against it to make it his own way." She took the bag she had set aside and slipped it onto her back with ease. _

"_Don't worry." She said, "As soon as the chaos is over, he'll find you and her in the safe house. You remember where to go, right?" _

"_Ye-Yes but-" Cristal said confused before her mother handed her the baby. _

"_I know I'm asking a lot of Cristal but, promise your mother one thing…" She said, placing her hands on her shoulders, "... Promise me no matter what happens… You'll look after your father and your baby sister. Grow to be strong, always stay safe, and most importantly… Don't ever lose sight of what is most important…" _

_Cristal sniffled, and hesitantly nodded her head. _

_Her mother soon looked at the baby, giving her a kiss on the head, and caressing her hair as her cries started to die down a little. _

"_**My little Destiny**_…" _She said softly, "... Mommy loves you. She always has, and always will. I will be with you… __**Even when you can't see me**__." _

"_Mommy?" Cristal soon said fearfully, "Aren't you coming with us?" _

_**BANG! BANG!**_

_Cristal jumped at the sounds and instincts took over as she ran into her mother's arms. They heard the sound of the Grimm trying to break through the barricade she had put up beforehand. Her mother pushed the child out of her embrace as she still held her smile. _

_She gave her a kiss on the cheek and Cristal could've sworn, she saw tears from her mother as she still held her smile. _

"_... I love you, my Little Gem." _

_The sounds became more aggressive as claws soon broke through the wood making her jump. Just as Cristal turned back to her mother she found herself floating because of her. Her purple eyes had changed to that of white as small butterfly insignia appeared on her forehead; the butterfly had been in the form of a silver-studded blue butterfly. _

"_Mommy!?" She exclaimed as she was in tears. _

"_Don't forget me." She told her. _

_Before she could say anything, Cristal felt herself getting pushed out of the house as the back door seemed to have opened on it's own. A moment later she landed in the snow, which luckily cushioned her fall. When she recovered, she saw the door closing itself and locked it with a click. _

"_Mommy!" Cristal exclaimed, as she stood up wiping away her tears. _

_She ran to the door and attempted to get it open though she found it to be locked. Her eyes turned to gold as a blue butterfly insignia appeared as she tried to get the door open that way, however even that didn't seem to work. _

"_A binding spell… But why?" _

_She soon heard muffled voices on the inside. She had gotten her sister to calm down as she held her before she approached the window she could reach. It was then she heard the voices more clearly then before. _

_She looked through and saw two women and a man, standing with her mother. One appeared to be cloaked in black while the other had hair as white as the snow as she stood tall. Her eyes were gray and discolored as she looked to be burned from what she could tell, as she had worn a black dress. _

_The man, from what she could tell, looked to be an Atlesian scientist as he looked to be as tall as the young woman. _

"_This doesn't have to be difficult, you know?" She heard the man say, "All we're asking you is where your children are. Just tell us where they're hiding and we'll be on our way." _

"_If you do not answer… Then we will be forced to take drastic measures." The young woman told her. _

_She could see her mother's eyes had still been in the color of white as she didn't have a glare on the intruders. Instead… She had a look of sympathy towards them. _

"_... You poor souls." She said to them, surprising them, "You're supposed to be a scientist to help the people of Atlas and others that have suffered loss, and you were once a great warrior to uphold the peace between these Kingdoms even in it's darkest times." _

_She looked to the woman cloaked behind them as her look changed, "... How could you do this to them? Ruin their futures this way all as an effort to get what you want?"_

_The woman cloaked didn't answer, but instead stepped forward. _

"_**Trinity. **__I'm giving you one last chance." She told her, "Where are your daughters?" _

_Her mother… Trinity looked to the cloaked woman; her body shook slightly as she looked to be scared, but she held her ground. "I know what your aim is with them." She told her, "I don't wish to give them a life filled with eternal misery and dread. Which is why I cannot tell you where they are." _

_There was silence between them as the woman's comrades looked to her, as if they had been waiting for a reaction from her. Cristal soon noticed they stepped back, giving the cloaked woman space. _

_The woman soon sighed, "... Don't say, I gave you any warnings." _

_A sphere of light soon appeared from the palm of her hands before she attacked Trinity. She was able to create a barrier before she created a sphere of her own. _

_Cristal let out a gasp as flashes and sparks of light emitted from the two of them attacked one another. Her baby sister started to stir at the noise, and the cracks on the windows that appeared. She quickly sat herself in the snow as she started to calm her._

"_Don't cry Dessie." Cristal said to her softly, as she bounced her gently, "Just stay quiet for a little while longer okay?" _

_Just then she heard a scream coming from inside. She recognized them to be from her mother. She slowly and hesitantly picked herself up. Her eyes widened in horror by what she saw next. _

_Not only was the inside of the house now a complete wreck, but she saw her mother, hanging against the wall. What looked to be a dark blade had been what pierced her, as it had gone right through her chest; the blood rushing to her mouth as she found herself gagging. _

_She saw the cloaked woman had been the one who put it there._

"_Mo-Mommy…" Cristal said horrified. _

"_Your grandfather taught you well…" The Cloaked Woman said, "... But even with all your teachings you were still weak. Though I think we both know… The same can't be said for your children." _

_Trinity coughed as she picked up her head, "... You may… Defeat me today... But know this… One day… Someone will stop you… If not me… If not Ozpin… Someone… Will…" _

_She only chuckled softly, "We'll see about that." _

_With a snap of her fingers, the blade disappeared and she fell onto the ground, allowing the blood to seep on the floor. _

"_Mommy…" Cristal said as her eyes filled with tears, "... Mommy…" _

_She seemed to snap out of her trance when Destiny started to cry; it drew the attention of the intruders inside. _

_At that point she didn't think about anything instead… She just turned and ran. She held onto her sister as she trekked through the snow. She was sure the intruders were chasing after her now, but she didn't seem to care. She just knew she had to get away, as far away as she could with her younger sister. _

_She ran towards where the safe house had been, hearing voices yelling at her, telling her to stop. Though she wouldn't have it. She just kept her eyes forward and her head held high. _

"_The safe house!" She said fearfully, "Gotta get to the safe house! Gotta get to daddy!" _

_As Cristal headed further into the trees and turned to where it was. As she was getting closer to where the safe house had been-_

"_**NO! DON'T!**_"

_Cristal froze when she had been taken back by a set of burning red eyes. She saw it was a Beowolf as it bared it's claws. The child let out a scream as her vision was soon clouded with red. _

* * *

Oscar let out a scream at what he had assumed was some kind of nightmare. He ran a hand through his hair as he was trying to gather his thoughts together in an attempt to calm himself. He soon looked to the window, seeing that the sun had begun to rise in the distance.

He let out a sigh as he had gotten out of bed, getting on his work boots. He went across his room towards a second bed, where someone else was sleeping. A young girl looking to be that of twelve had been sleeping sounding as she had a shade of magenta with two sections of her bangs transitioned to orange.

He gave her a gentle shake.

"Destiny, come on." Oscar said, "It's time to wake up."

Destiny twitched slightly as she opened her eyes, revealing her green and her Grimm infected eye. She rubbed her eyes as she let out a yawn, before sitting herself up; letting her legs hang off the side, revealing that her left leg had a metallic nub and her hair had been of shoulder length.

"Good morning Oscar." She said with a tired smile.

"Morning to you too." Oscar said, before he got what looked to a prosthetic leg before he helped her to strap it on, "Come on. We gotta start on our chores."

Destiny tightened the straps slightly before Oscar helped her to stand, wobbling slightly as she did on the wooden prosthetic.

"Man…" Destiny said hopping a little, "... You'd think after a few months I'd be used to this kind of thing by now."

"At least you didn't fall back down like last time." Oscar said, "Now let's hurry and get started. I'll meet you downstairs when you're dressed."

Destiny nodded, and Oscar left her to her privacy. She got on her usual outfit for the day, as she put on a jean vest with a purple hoodie with simple brown shorts. She put on a set of brown work boots, before putting a red bandana around her neck and a black eyepatch to hide the Grimm eye she had. After fixing her hair a bit she headed out the door with a slight limp, meeting Oscar outside. The moment they stepped outside of the farm, they got to work.

It was strange for Oscar at first, to have this young little girl around one who had just magically appeared, and he meant that in a literal sense. The first time he found her, he had been on his way home from the department store, in town just near the farm within walking distance. As he had been halfway down the dirted path, he had been taken back by a bright light that seemed to have illuminated the sky.

The next thing he knew when the light cleared, he found her in the dirt covered in burns and her left leg completely gone. Though he couldn't find a reason or cause, he couldn't just leave her there, so he bought her home, giving his Aunt quite a shock that night; especially given the fact that her eye didn't even look human. Sometime after she woke up, he got his explanation as to why her eye was the way it was.

He couldn't believe it at first, but he was told that she could understand the Grimm, and use her gift she had been born with to calm their anger. Not only that, but she had told him she came all the way from Beacon.

True, he didn't really understand it, though he took her word for it. He didn't tell his Aunt how exactly he found her or where she was from. The only thing he told her was she was injured in a Grimm attack that she was separated from her family after a Grimm attack.

It wasn't exactly the whole truth, though it had been better then actually lying.

Despite her having the slight limp as she walked, she was able to get around fairly well which surprised everyone by the time her body adjusted to having a prosthetic. She was an especially big help around the farm, as Oscar found that they were getting a lot more done with two people. He was worried at first since she told Oscar she spent most of her life in the city, though she was able to adapt to being a farmhand rather quickly.

For that they were both grateful.

A few months had passed since she first came to the farm and as usual, they had their own chores to do on the farm. Oscar had been busy plowing the garden, while Destiny had been feeding the animals after she let them outside.

The child was humming to herself as she was giving some oats, allowing a horse to eat it out of the palm of her hand. She giggled at the sensation she felt as the horse nimbled to finish it all.

"How's it going over there?" Oscar called out.

"Everyone's present and accounted for!" Destiny replied with a smile before she threw some grain on the ground as the chickens gathered around her feet.

"Great!" Oscar said, "When you're done let's clean up the stables, okay?"

"Sure!" She said.

"Morning Oscar! Morning Destiny!"

The two of them turned to see it had been Oscar's Aunt as they both greeted her with a smile. "You two are working hard today." She said with a smile.

"It's nothing really Mrs. Pine." Destiny reassured with a smile.

"How's that leg doing for you today?"

"Still getting the hang of it, but otherwise I'm not tripping as much as I was before."

"That's good to hear! I'm sorry it's not the same type of prosthesis Atlas uses."

"Don't be! I'm happy that I just have a leg!"

Oscar soon finished up the garden as he let out a relieved sigh; He stretched as he set aside the tool. "I'm just about done here." Oscar said to his Aunt, "Destiny and I were just about to clean up the stables."

"Good." His Aunt said, "And after you're done with that, you can go into town with her to get a few things while I take care of things around here. Think you can do that?"

"How about it Destiny?" Oscar asked, "You up for it?"

"Sure, I could use a good walk." Destiny replied as she soon bottle fed a baby calf once she was done with the chickens and horses.

* * *

Only a short time passed before they finished their work along the farm. They soon headed into the small town with Destiny dragging a wagon behind her despite the fact that she had a slight limp. She nearly found herself falling to the ground a couple of times though Oscar had been quick to catch her and steady her on her feet.

They entered the market square as it had been lively as it had always been. Every Human and Fanus alike greeted each other with a friendly smile as some sparked a small conversation. They started to go through each stand, collecting what they needed and setting them in the wagon before moving on.

"Ah well, if it isn't Oscar and Destiny!"

The two children turned to an elderly man with his hands behind his back.

"Mr. Maplewood, hello!" Destiny greeted with a smile.

"Good morning sir!" Oscar said.

"Working hard again I see?" Mr. Maplewood said, "Are you running errands?"

"Just the usual grocery run for my Aunt." Oscar said.

"And you my dear child?" Mr. Maplewood said looking to Destiny, "How's that leg doing for you?"

"I'm getting around!" She replied with a smile, "I'm not gonna let tripping be the better of me."

Mr. Maplewood couldn't help but laugh before he gave her a pat on the head, "You sure do have fire in your spirit. Your parents must be some great people."

Destiny's look changed slightly at this, though she still retained her smile as she said, "Yeah, they definitely are!"

A couple of children around her age, soon approached them as they were eager to see Destiny, one was a boy with blonde hair and blue eyes, the other had been a girl with light red hair, "Hey there Dessie!" One of them said.

"Morning!" The second said.

"Sage, Coby!" Destiny greeted with a smile, "Good morning!"

"Are you all done with your chores?" Sage asked, "There's going to be a fair coming around this afternoon."

"We're gonna go check it out!" Coby added, "You wanna come with?"

"I'd loved to!" She said with a smile, "Oscar do you wanna come with?"

"Oh, I uh-" Oscar started to say before Sage and Coby cut him off.

"Yeah, Oscar, come join us at the fair!" Sage said, "You're Aunt's gotta give you a break once and awhile."

"You gotta live a little you know." Coby added.

Oscar looked at them as they were all making a pleading look, as their eyes had gotten seemingly bigger right when he was about to say No. Well, how can he now after looking at those pleading eyes?

He sighed, "I'll have to put away the tools and check with Auntie."

"Yay!" The kids cheered as they couldn't help but jump.

"Meet us back here at 2 o'clock sharp, kay?" Sage said before she ran in the opposite direction.

"Don't be late!" Coby said before following behind her.

"Till then!" Destiny said as she waved.

"Come on." Oscar soon told her, "Let's get all this back home. We can tell her about the fair then."

The little one nodded before she started to drag the wagon behind her again, and they started to make their way outside of the market square. They found themselves walking along the dirted path again as Oscar couldn't help but ponder on the nightmare he had.

No… It didn't feel like a nightmare.

He could feel the fear in the girl as she watched her mother get taken from him. He knew that girl was her sister Destiny would so often talk about. Though from what he saw, she had an entirely different appearance then how she described her from when she mentioned her family before to him.

Now that he could think about it, he was wondering how she was feeling, with her being away from her family and friends. He remembered all the stories she had told him about them; how her expression brightened at every sentence she spoke.

Though, he could also remember how upset she felt about it, whenever she thought she was alone.

He wanted to ask her, though he had always been hesitant. Though she was younger then him by two years, she was still just a kid nothing more or less. Her mind might be more fragile then his, especially considering what became of Beacon.

As they were halfway towards the farm, Oscar had been taken back when Destiny started to hum a certain tune. It was angelic and almost hypnotizing, and yet, it had been filled with solemn as she hummed.

"That song…" Oscar soon said, "... Is that a lullaby?"

Destiny had been bought out of her thoughts after he had asked this. "Oh, yeah it is." She replied playing with her head a bit, "It sort of got stuck in my head, and-I can't help but hum it to take my mind off a lot of things."

"It sounds really pretty." Oscar couldn't help but comment, "Did your sister sing that to you?"

Destiny shook her head, "I…" She gave a little laugh, "... You're gonna find it strange but, I heard it in a dream."

"A dream?" He said surprised.

She nodded her head, "I've had that dream for as long as I remember. There's a lady who's always humming that song. It's beautiful, even though it sounds sad. The dreams just come and go, but it always repeats itself. I guess the song got stuck in my head after awhile."

Oscar had been hesitant in his words before he asked, "... Did… Cristal have those kind of dreams?"

"She told me she used to have them when she was my age." Destiny replied, "But they stopped for her as she got older. She doesn't know why, but… It stopped coming to her." Her look soon softened, "... I wonder… If she's out there, with the others… If she's with daddy…"

She soon stopped in her tracks as she looked to the sky; he noticed that her hand had been shaking, "... I want to be able to call them, to tell them I'm alright, that I'm alive, but… With the CCT gone… I can't even do that… I want to send them a letter… But I don't even know where they are… It hurts not being with them… And... The worst part is… _**I don't even know if they're still alive**_."

She froze up when she felt Oscar's hand on her head. She looked and saw his smile to be comforting, "I wouldn't lose hope on them. If they are how you say than, they'll come for you."

"How… Do you know that?" Destiny asked.

"Because it's like you said-" Oscar soon answered, "-Even if the world says it's not meant to be, your family and your friends would fight tooth and nail to make it right."

At this the young girl couldn't help but smile a warm smile before she rubbed her eyes to prevent herself from crying. "Thanks Oscar." She said with gratitude.

Oscar couldn't help but smile back at her.

They soon reached the farm as the animals were happy to see them; especially Destiny as some went over to the fence to say hello. She wasted no time saying hello to each of them as she giggled when some of them started to kiss her cheek.

"Could you take the groceries to Auntie?" Oscar asked her, "I've gotta go put the tools away."

"I've got you covered." Destiny said, giving him a thumbs up.

Oscar soon went to gather up the tools. He went into the barn to set the tools back where they were; double checking to make sure everything was in order. After brushing his hands he went to exit the barn; that was until something caught his eye in the mirror which caused him to freeze up. He went over to sink, grasping the rim as he looked into the mirror more closely.

"... Hello…?"

He waited, and waited for a reply, but none came. He let out a sigh as a thought came over that maybe he had just-

"_Hello, I'm Professor Ozpin!_"

Oscar let out a scream and jumped back suddenly by the sound of a voice; the tools he set aside had just fell on top of him as he landed in the hay behind him. "Oscar?" Destiny said coming into view of the barn. She ran over to his side, helping him to sit up.

"Are you okay?" She asked.

Oscar couldn't say anything as he looked back over to the mirror, just baffled by the voice he had just heard.

"Oscar!" His Aunt soon said, "You be careful with those tools!"

(_**Ending Theme: The Promised Neverland Ending 1-Zettai Zetsumei Performed By Co shu Nie**_)


	12. Chapter 9: Once Upon A Time

**WARNING:** At one point in the chapter, it's going to contain self harm. If you feel uncomfortable feel free to skip over it.

* * *

-_**Sometime Ago**_-

_On a cold night of the forest, teams RNJR, CRMS and Roman had set up camp and most of them had been practically next to each other for warmth. They had traveled down the road for at least hours and hours for almost the whole day without stopping. They all passed out the moment they were done with their dinner and instead of sleeping separately they were huddled together just for the night. _

_Most of them tossed and turned in their sleep, trying to get comfortable, while the others slept still, breathing softly. It wasn't long till Ruby stirred from her slumber when she heard something rather unusual. _

_It was of someone singing. _

_**Somewhere over the rainbow**_

_**Way up high**_

_**There's a land that I've heard of**_

_**Once in a lullaby**_

_Ruby groaned as she sat up and stretched groaning slightly as she did. She turned in the direction of the recorded voice and saw Roman by the dying fire, keeping it lit as he looked to be holding that of a tape recorder. He had been laying on the log as he had his gaze to the sky. She threw a blanket over her shoulders and approached; the blades of grass crushing under her feet softly. _

_He had noticed her presence beforehand but chose not to say anything he continued to listen. _

_**Someday I'll wish upon a star **_

_**And wake up where the clouds are far behind me**_

_**Where troubles melt like lemon drops, away above the chimney tops**_

_**That's where you'll find me**_

_**Somewhere over the rainbow**_

_**Bluebirds fly**_

_**Birds fly over the rainbow, why can't I?**_

_**If happy little bluebirds fly beyond the rainbow**_

_**Why, oh why can't I?**_

_With a click the recording came to an end and there was silence between them as Ruby sat against the log. All that was heard was the sound of the crickets and wood popping in the fire. Finally after a few moments Ruby broke the silence, "That was a beautiful song." _

"_Yeah." Roman said as he looked to the sky, "Trinity used to sing it all the time. She even recorded this just in case she was out of town. I found it in my apartment-Well what was left of it. It's a miracle it wasn't broken, but… In some ways, I'm glad." _

"_Did you often play it for Cristal?" Ruby asked. _

"_No… It was… Actually for Destiny." He replied, "Whenever she had a nightmare, or was upset about something I played this for her." He let out a sigh, "These days, I play it for myself, just to clear my head." _

_Ruby soon noticed something in his hand, as he had been holding a photograph which had read, "Our First Date". Her gaze softened slightly at this. _

"_Is… Something bothering you?" She asked with worry._

_Roman didn't reply at first as he ran his hand through his hair finally sitting up while he removed his hat. "Roman, we're friends." Ruby said, "It's okay to let things out sometimes, and… I really do want to help you." _

_He let out a sigh, "I just… Had a trip down memory lane, when Trinity was about to have Cristal. I just remembered something she said… That's all."_

_Ruby could see that he was having a hard time saying what he wanted to say although he was hesitant. "If you don't want to say it, then, that's fine too." Ruby soon told him, "Whenever you're ready you can talk, I'll be here to listen." _

_Roman didn't say anything again; he took out his cigar case and placed one between his lips before letting it a flame with his lighter. Silence came over them again as he felt the breeze blow by. Once again, Ruby broke the silence again, "You know… After they told us about you, they often talked about you nonstop whenever we brought you up. Though neither of them talked about Trinity. What was she like?" _

_Roman only chuckled, "She had your stubbornness for one when it came to helping people. She was also talented, and smart. Though he wasn't really the best fighter. I had to teach her how to use a gun when we were teenagers." _

"_Really?" _

"_Believe it or not everyone in the world can be as talented as you are when it comes to combat. Though, that didn't stop her from trying. Even with her flaws she had her own ways of improving and improvising. You should've seen her when she showed off her skills. One time she was almost robbed by an amateur thief, but let's just say she showed him who's boss. Left me speechless when she gave him one hell of a nose job." _

_She laughed amusingly at this, "Sounds like she was a toughie." _

"_That she was." He replied, "You would've liked her." He scoffed, "Who am I kidding? You two would've been best friends." _

_Ruby chuckled at this as she turned the log over. _

"_We actually came from similar backgrounds if you can believe it." Roman said, "We both hated our own families. I hated my old man for what he put me through, and she didn't like her step parent because of what he turned her family into, after her real father died. We both had a hard life, but strangely enough, that lead us to find each other. Through thick and thin we had each other. She helped me open my eyes to the real world, and I protected her from the darkness that would threaten to hurt her, and then eventually-" _

"_-You two fell in love!" Ruby couldn't help but say with a kitten-like smile. _

_Roman cleared his throat as he was trying to hold back a laugh, "Okay, I can't take you seriously when you're making a face like that." _

"_I can't help it! It just sounds adorable!" She said. _

"_You sound like Destiny when I told her this." He said, removing his cigar from his lips, tapping it slightly to get rid of the ash, "I think she might've rubbed off on you." _

_Ruby couldn't help but giggle before she had a thought come over her. _

"_Wait a minute…" Ruby said, "... You said that Trinity hated her step parent, because of something he did? Why? What did he do?" _

_After taking one last puff he removed it from his mouth, crushing it. He than tossed it into the dying fire, as what remained of the firewood remained burned. _

"_Red…" He said, "... Sometimes you shouldn't dig into things that are meant to stay secret. They're some things I'm not ready to share. Myself and Trinity's life was like before we got together." _

"_Didn't she tell you why she left?" _

"_Of course she did. Though after she told me, she asked me not to tell anyone about it. Even now I kept her word." _

"_Why?" _

"_Because I know firsthand the cost of what happens when you open your mouth and talk. People end up getting hurt. When that happens, it comes back to haunt you for the rest of your life."_

_Ruby said nothing but read the expression on his face; she saw that he had a look of solemn and guilt. As if he had read her thoughts, he explained his reasoning. _

"_The first person I let down was my best man." He said, "I told him about what my old man did to me throughout most of my childhood when my own mom took the cowards way out. He said he would go straighten things out and get proof. He did in the end, but my old man ended up paralyzing him from the waist down. The dogs from Atlas told me he was tortured for days before he got a confession out of him." _

_Ruby couldn't help but gasp as she placed a hand over her mouth at the mere thought of this. She had no idea the man she encountered in the Dust Shop, the man she once considered an enemy had endured so much. She knew what it was like to lose someone for sure, but… To hear something like that from a once known thief. First she heard about the death of his wife, now the guilt she had heard in his voice. She could tell just from thinking about it, he was hurting. She placed her hand on his shoulder as her own way comforting him. _

"_I'm sorry…" Ruby said with solemnity in her voice, "... I didn't know." _

_Roman looked Ruby in the eyes and said nothing, not even a thank you. Instead he cleared his throat as he stood up, "It's still late out." He said, trying to hide his expression, "We should get some sleep." _

"_Roman…" Ruby said standing up stopping him, "I'm glad you told me, really. I know it's not that easy to tell me these kind of things, but… I just want you to know that despite our differences in the past-That myself and everyone will be here for you. Whenever your ready." _

_Roman still had his back to her, but she saw him turn his head slightly to her, "Let's just… Try to get some sleep." _

_Ruby gave a smile as she nodded, "Okay!" _

* * *

_(__**Opening Theme: RWBY V4 Opening-Let's Just Live Performed By Casey Lee Williams**__)_

_-__**Present; Hours After Battle**__-_

After everything between the named Tyrian and his mysterious partner Elise, the whole group quickly left the town and carried their wounded in a hurry. The teams tried to search for their enemies to get more information on who they were, or capture one of them and interrogate them then. However no matter where they looked or how high they searched they couldn't find a trace, not even so much as a footprint.

Scout attended the wounded after they found a place to camp for the night. They pitched up tents which she was able to pack for Roman so that he wouldn't get his wound infected. She offered to pitch one for Qrow, though he kindly denied her request.

Once everyone settled and everyone calmed themselves Qrow soon explained the meaning behind his question.

"What's your favorite fairytale?"

He told them everything that he and Ozpin told Pyrrha on that same day during the Vytal Festival. It took them the rest of their day to listen to what he had to say while Scout took care of Roman who still remained unconscious. Senka remained by Cristal's side throughout the duration as he was there to comfort her while Frosty laid at Melody's feet with her makeshift arm cast.

Everyone of course was left speechless by everything Qrow told them. Qrow himself was surprised at the fact they were quiet.

"What?" He said, "You all don't have questions?"

"Of course we do!" Jaune said, "This… This is just a lot to take in."

Qrow let out a sigh, "Sure, of course."

Rosario awkwardly raised her hand, "Is it a bad time to say that I did kind of know about this?"

Everyone gave her an awkward look as Rosario slowly put her hand down, "I'm just saying."

Ruby twiddled her thumbs as she turned to her uncle, "So these… Maidens are like Cristal in a way. They're powerful fighters that don't need Dust to use magic."

"Yeah." He replied.

"And… They're always four of them?" Nora added.

"Yup." He answered, "Always."

Ren started to say, "Which means that whenever one of them dies, their power transfers to someone-A female that they care about?"

"Whoever is in their thoughts last." Qrow clarified, "Important decision. The best option is to pass it on to someone we can trust. Regardless, their souls are combined in a way."

"And that's what you were trying to do to Pyrrha!" Jaune said with a glare, "The night the tower fell! You were trying to turn her into one of them."

"Jaune." Melody told him, "Calm down."

"The previous Fall Maiden Amber was attacked." Qrow explained, "She was young, inexperienced. And her assailant, who we now know is the one responsible for kidnapping Cristal and Destiny somehow managed to steal her power, but not all of it. We were afraid if we didn't do something, the rest of it would go to her as well."

"That might've been my fault…" Rosario said with guilt in her voice, "... Sorry."

"You couldn't have known what was going on." Cristal said.

"That doesn't change the fact you were trying to force it on Pyrrha!" Jaune said with anger in his voice.

"Take it easy." Melody told him, "No one said she was forced."

"Really!? Because it sounds like she wasn't given any other choice!"

"You don't know that for sure!"

"Well you don't either because you were busy out here on some wild goose chase instead of going to school like a normal person would!"

This time Melody had a glare of her own as she looked to Jaune; Qrow took notice of this while the others were surprised by her sudden tone as she stood, "Don't you _**DARE**_ bring my life into this like you know my story!"

"We don't know your life because you've been hoarding that information to yourself!" He said, returning the glare as he himself stood.

"Cut it out! Both of you!" Qrow said, stopping them, "We can all agree that we've been through enough fighting for one day." Melody and Jaune looked to one another before she averted her gaze before she sat herself down next to Ruby.

Qrow turned to Jaune, "Look, we didn't force this. We explained the situation and we gave her a choice. And she chose. You were there. You heard her."

Jaune clenched his hand and hung his head for a brief moment before he turned and gave himself distance from the group. No one did anything to stop him, not even his own teammates.

Rosario let out a sigh, "Okay… I'm just as baffled as everyone else. Considering that I worked with Cinder and she failed to mention that little detail. But… In terms of magic… I thought Cristal and her sister were the only ones who were born with them.

"Wait, but-" Ruby said, "-What she did, that was a semblance wasn't it?"

"No." Cristal replied, "It wasn't. I sensed magic from her. It's the same presence as Destiny's, just colder and lost."

"I'm as surprised as you are, trust me." Qrow said, "And I honestly wish I had the answers to that but-I'm sorry to say, I'm as confused as you are."

Cristal sighed, "That's what I was afraid of, but it didn't hurt to know."

"Tyrian and that girl Elise…" Ruby soon said, "... I can understand why they're after Cristal but… Why did they want me?"

Qrow took a moment to drink from his flask, "Well you definitely painted a target on your back after what you did at Beacon. It's like I told you, having silver eyes is a rare trait. The fact that you were able to use them seems to have upset some powerful people. I've been keeping an eye on you since you guys left Patch, and when you all got together to keep you safe. _**All of you.**_"

The whole group looked to one another, slightly unsure of something. "Than… Why not just save all the trouble to travel with us, like Roman and Cristal did?" Ruby asked her uncle, "It seemed like that would be a whole lot easier."

"He was using you as bait." Jaune said, shocking the group.

"You don't know my father like Ruby, Yang, my sister and I do!" Melody said with anger in her tone, "So you don't have a right to say that about him! He would never use his own loved ones as bait! He cares about his family!"

"Melody, take it easy." Qrow said to her calmly yet with a stern voice. He soon turned to Jaune, "And to answer your question, it's a bit more complicated than that."

Jaune finally turned facing him, "What IS all of _**THIS**_**!?** Destiny and Cristal ended up getting taken by these people, Ruby's being hunted by those same people, Roman could've been killed and all for what!? **WILL YOU JUST TELL US WHAT'S GOING ON!?**"

Qrow looked to Jaune, letting out a sigh as he rubbed his eyebrows. "Would you sit down?" He said, "You're stressing me out."

Jaune took a seat as Qrow himself took another sip from his flask; after wiping his mouth, he began to tell them a story. One Cristal had been all too familiar with.

"Not many people are religious these days. This world has been around for a long time, long enough that people have created dozens of Gods. But if you believe in Ozpin-Two of them are actually real. It all began with two brothers. The older sibling, the God of Light, found joy in creating forces of life. Meanwhile, the younger brother, the God of Darkness, spent his entire time creating forces of destruction. As you can imagine, they both had pretty different ideas about how things should go. The older one spent his days creating water, plants and wildlife. At night, the younger brother would wake to see all the things the elder made and become disgusted. To counteract his brother's creation, the God of Darkness brought drought, fire, famine, all he could do to rid Remnant life. Life always returned. So one night, the younger brother went and-"

"-Created something that shared his desire to destroy anything and everything." Cristal soon said, "A creature created from the darkest part of his soul…"

"_**... The creatures of Grimm.**_" Ruby said.

Qrow nodded before he continued.

"The older brother finally had enough. Knowing that their feud couldn't last any long, he proposed that they make one final creation… Together. Something they could both be proud of-Their masterpiece. The younger brother agreed. Their last great creation would be given the power to create and destroy. It would be given the gift of knowledge, so that it could learn about itself and the world around it. And most importantly, it would be given the power to choose, to have free will to take everything it had learned and decide which path to follow-The path of light, or the path of darkness. _**And that is how Humanity came to be**_."

"But…" Ren soon said, "... What does this have to do with any of us?"

"Well, that's the kicker." Qrow answered, "See, the four gifts to mankind-Knowledge, Creation, Destruction, and Choice aren't just metaphorical. Each of them exists in a physical form, left behind by the Gods before they abandoned Remnant, and each of them are extraordinarily powerful. If someone were to collect all four, they'd be able to change the world. That's exactly what the enemy wants. The Huntsmen Academies were created to train generations of Humanity's protectors, but they also had another purpose… _**Guarding the Relics**_. When Ozpin's predecessor's founded the schools, he built them around the Relics to act as a fortress. Not only would they be easier to defend, but they would constantly be surrounded by trained warriors. The hope was hiding them would keep mankind from using them against itself… And of course, keeping them out of _**HER**_ reach."

Cristal gritted her teeth at this as she retained a look of hate. Qrow only shrugged as he said, "And that's about the jest of it."

"Her…" Ruby said, "... You mean Salem, don't you?"

"Yeah…" Qrow said, "Not much is known about her, and quite frankly that's not what matters. What matters right now is she is after the Relic's and Roman's daughters. If she gets them, than it's not going to end well, for all of us."

"But I still don't understand…" Cristal said, "... Why was it worth killing my mom? Why get me and my little sister involved in all of this!?"

Qrow looked at his flask seeing what little was inside before he took another sip, "If you want my honest opinion… I'm not entirely sure. But the fact that you and your sister were born with your magic, and not being a Maiden entirely seems to have some value to Salem."

"Not enough to kill though." Rosario said, surprising most of the group.

"What makes you say that?" Nora asked.

"From what I'm understanding about Salem is that she finds value with those with power." Rosario said, "Unlike that former boss of mine, Cinder, when she sees a pawn, she'll find a way to exploit it. If she wanted Cristal or her sister dead… She would've done it the night she killed their mom."

Cristal couldn't help but grit her teeth at the thought, though none seemed to notice that she had gripped her chest as she felt it throb slightly.

"You're right." Qrow said, surprising them again, "Salem does see value in the two of them. And from what we saw from Tyrian's partner, she has some value too. No doubt she most likely has virtually the same power as you and your sister do. You said it yourself, she has the same presence as her."

Cristal couldn't help but have another thought. Senka nudged her slightly with his beak as if he had been encouraging her. "These powers… I got them from my mother…" She said to Qrow, "... And yet she killed her in cold blood. I remember Salem saying that Destiny and I weren't the same as her… Can you tell me anything about where she came from?"

Qrow rubbed the back of his head as he sighed, "I could, but honestly… I think it's best if you hear it from your father, when the time is right."

Once more the group was silent as they took in all of this information. It was all hard for them to process sure, though they had their own way of taking in this sort of news.

Finally, Jaune was the first to speak up, "Alright… Let's say we believe all of this. There really is this crazy evil behind these attacks, and not just some thugs trying to become powerful. That and she's the one responsible for infecting Destiny with Grimm. Why doesn't anyone else know? Why doesn't the world know? Why isn't Atlas going after them? Or Mistral?!"

"And why aren't we in more of a hurry to get to Haven?!" Nora said.

"What if they're next on the list!?" Melody said, "We should hurry and warn them of the coming attack!"

"You don't think the other Headmasters are completely unaware of what happened do you?" Qrow said, "He's not dumb. After he saw what happened he'll be on his guard. Besides, it takes time to mobilize forces like that. Do you really think they planned that attack overnight?"

He soon turned back over to Jaune, "And to answer _**YOUR**_ question, it's the same reason why we kept quiet about the Maidens. If the whole world knew about the Relics, about Salem, there would be chaos. We would have another Great War on our hands, only this time… _**You'd have to fight**_."

Jaune turned away from Qrow, crossing his arms over his chest as he did.

"Look…" He started to say, "... I had the same questions as all of you did. But ol' Ozpin always put his foot down. 'We can't cause panic.' he would say." He couldn't help but laugh slightly, "Can't tell you how many times I've heard that. Salem's smart. She works in the shadows, using others to get what she wants so when it comes time to place the blame, we can only point at each other. She's trying to divide us-Humanity, and so far… She's done a pretty good job."

Qrow leaned back slightly, his head tilting back as he looked to the shattered moon above. He grasped his wound that had been wrapped in a set of bandages as he heaved out a sigh. His attention was drawn from the sky as he heard his niece say, "Alright… So what do we do?"

Everyone looked to the Huntsman for an answer, but he only chuckled. "I don't really know." He replied, "Ozpin has put a lot of trust in the other Headmasters. Like I said, the schools are important to stopping Salem. Atlas is going to be on high alert after the last attack and Vacuo, is-Well Vacuo. It'll be hard to hire thieves and scoundrels to fight. Take that, and add Cinder, and her crew who claim to be from Haven is most likely their next target. So… We're on our way to the Headmaster. Haven't heard from him in awhile, even before the attack. And hopefully, he'll help us in finding out where Destiny is."

Qrow soon stood up as he stretched and let out a groan, "Alright, it's getting pretty late. It's about time you kids get some sleep."

"Uncle Qrow…" Ruby said standing up, "... This is… A lot to take in. And it all seems crazy, but-" She looked to Cristal, as she looked to her, "-Two sisters once told me and my friends, that a criminal was their dad, they could talk to Grimm, they could take away the anger and pain they felt, and they themselves could use magic. I did what I could to help them, because I trusted them. Just like than, I'm willing to trust you. But there's one thing I want to understand… Why couldn't you just travel with us instead of this secrecy? Maybe you could've-"

"Ruby." Melody said, cutting her off, "There's a reason my father decided to lag behind and keep an eye on us from a far. It doesn't have anything to do with trust."

"She's right." Qrow added, "Besides… It's a long story."

"Really?" Nora said surprised, "_**NOW**_ you're tired of telling stories?"

Qrow looked to the fire before kneeling over it. He took a stick nearby and started to turn over the logs within the flame, "Did you know that crows are a sign of bad luck? Old superstition, but… It's how I got my name. See, some people can burst into rose petals, some can absorb electricity and some-Are just born unlucky. My semblance… Isn't like most. It's not exactly something I can do. It's always there, whether I like it or not. I bring misfortune." He let out a bitter chuckle, "I guess you can call it a bad luck charm. I'll admit, it does come in handy when fighting an enemy. But… It makes it harder on friends… _**And family**_."

"Well… You're just a real bundle of help aren't you?" Jaune said in an aggressive tone.

Finally Melody had enough as she stood again, "What the hell is your problem tonight!?" She yelled, "He already told us everything we needed to know! What more do you want from him, huh!?"

"Well I'm sorry if I'm asking too much!" Jaune said still with a tone, "I'm just _**SICK**_ and _**TIRED**_ of everyone just being secretive with all the stuff going on right now!"

"That doesn't mean you have to have the attitude right now! These past few minutes as he's willingly telling us all of this, you've just complained and taken your anger out on a man who had his reasons for keeping this a secret from everyone! A _**DAMN**_ good reason! Did you just magically go deaf!?"

"You guys, don't fight…!" Nora said.

Jaune ignored Nora as he continued on, "Like your one to talk! You and Rosario have been keeping things from us! How do we even know you're not telling the whole truth!?"

"They're reasons why people keep secrets!" Melody told him, "Didn't you ever stop to consider that-I don't know, that they were trying to protect you!?"

"Protect us!? What good is protecting us if you keep information like what he just told us from us!? People should know about these kind of things!"

"He just said why people shouldn't! It would cause a panic! Would you rather have people constantly looking over their shoulder if they knew some powerful lady is going after the schools for these Relics!? Are you seriously dead in the brain!?"

"As far as I know, I'm not the one who's dead in the brain! Maybe you are!"

"What _**EXACTLY**_ are you implying!?"

"Jaune!" Ruby said getting in between them, "Don't!"

Jaune stepped around Ruby before he said to Melody, "Did _**YOU**_ ever stop to think about going back to Patch after you heard the news about what happened!? Why didn't you go back to at least see your cousins were okay!? Were you too busy out here on your scavenger hunt!?"

At this Melody said nothing as the look on her face changed. Qrow noticed the look in her eyes before he said calmly to Jaune, "You need to end this argument here."

"No!" He said, "You know what, here's something that I want to be made clear! You told us he looks out for his family, but what about you!? You could've gone back home to check on them, but you didn't! You just stayed out here, instead of going back! Why!? Do you even care about them!? Do you even give a damn what happens to them!?"

"**JAUNE!**" Everyone yelled at him to stop.

At this point the whole group was silent again as they looked to Melody. Her head was down and her hand began to shake. Finally she clenched her fist before she stomped over to Jaune. She grabbed him by the collar of his hoodie which took him by surprise before she headbutted so hard that it caused significant damage to his Aura, shocking most of the group.

When Jaune recovered, he saw Melody's eyes were different then her usual red eyes. Instead her eyes were of black, and her pupils were thin and narrow.

"**WHAT THE HELL DO YOU KNOW ABOUT MY LIFE!?**" She shouted, Jaune noticing a pair of fangs, "**HOW DARE YOU ACCUSE ME OF NOT CARING ABOUT MY FAMILY! YOU DON'T KNOW ALL THE HELL I'VE BEEN THROUGH BEFORE I CAME OUT HERE! WHAT GIVES YOU THE RIGHT TO MAKE SUCH ACCUSATIONS BECAUSE OF WHAT YOU THINK IS CRUEL!? WHAT GIVES YOU THE RIGHT TO TAKE YOUR ANGER OUT ON OTHERS BECAUSE OF YOUR STUPID INSECURITIES, AND BECAUSE OF YOUR STUPID BELIEFS!? WHO THE HELL GAVE YOU THE RIGHT TO JUDGE FOR WHO PEOPLE ARE?!**"

"**MELODY!**" Qrow shouted before he pulled her from Jaune forcing her to let him go. They were all shocked when he put his arms around her, with his hand covering her eyes and his other arm around her shoulders. He soon said in a calming voice, "It's okay… Calm down, I'm here… I'm right here now…"

Melody took deep and ragged breaths; despite Qrows hand covering her eyes, they could tell she looked horrified. In a blink her eyes changed back to her natural red, but her fangs stayed. Without saying anything, or a second thought she shoved Qrow away before making a mad dash towards the forest, leaving behind her weapon. Frosty ran after her, having awoken from all the yelling.

"Melody!" Ruby called out, "Melody wait!"

She was about to go after her, before Qrow stopped her.

"I've got her kiddo." He said, "The rest of you, can get some shut eye."

"Is… She going to be okay?" Nora asked.

"There's only one way to find out." Qrow replied.

"Hey." Rosario said, "Is there anything else you want us to know?"

Qrow stopped halfway before he noticed a raven perched on the branch. It had cocked it's head to the side as he sighed. "Not tonight." He replied, "If you'll excuse, I'm long overdue with a father daughter talk."

With that Qrow went into the forest to where Melody had run off. The group had been startled slightly when a log rolled out of the fire suddenly. Finally Ren spoke up, "A word of advice?" He said to Jaune, "Next time someone tells you to end an argument, you should listen."

"Oh God…" Jaune said in realization, "... Did I really say all those things?"

"You… Kind of did." Cristal replied awkwardly.

Jaune did his best to calm his thoughts as he had regretted everything he had just said to Melody. He soon turned to Ruby, "I'm sorry-I didn't know what I was saying, I didn't mean to-Damn it! Why didn't I shut my mouth?!"

"I know…" Ruby soon said, "... We've just had a rough day."

Scout soon came out from the tent as she finally joined the group; she had been holding a few towels that were stained with red, and Roman's jacket and shirt were folded up nicely though it had been stained with red as well along with a set of rags. "Um…" She awkwardly said, "... Did I come at a bad time?"

"No, you just missed the storm." Rosario said to her.

"How is he?" Ruby asked as she went to the young Fanus.

"Is my dad okay?" Cristal asked as she stood.

Scout sighed and answered, "Roman's wound was a bit difficult to treat. I managed to cauterize his wound to seal it up. I applied some burn medicine and herbs so we'll get lucky if the wound doesn't get infected."

"So… He'll be okay?" Nora asked.

Scout nodded, "The only thing we would have to worry about is him doing anything drastic. Other then that, he'll live."

Everyone sighed with relief as Cristal looked the most relaxed. "Scout… I don't know how much to thank you for saving him. I don't know what Destiny and I would do if we lost him."

"It's no problem." She said with a smile, "I'm just glad I could help."

"Are those Roman's?" Ruby asked referring to the clothes she had been carrying.

"O-Oh yeah." Scout said as she had gotten nervous again, "I was going to go to the river to get this cleaned up and was going to ask Melody to come with me but…"

She looked around for a moment, "... She doesn't appear to be here. Did I miss anything?"

"Why don't you and I go take a walk?" Rosario said putting her arm around her shoulders. Just as she walked in the direction of the forest in front of them; though not before she grabbed Jaune by the hoodie.

"You're coming too blondie." She said as she did this.

"**CH-CHOKING! NOT BREATHING!**" Jaune exclaimed.

The remaining teens couldn't help but watch as Rosario went off with Scout while dragging Jaune behind her.

* * *

It was always like this for Melody for as long as Qrow can remember. Everytime something like that happened she would run away scared of what others would think of her when they saw her lash out the way she did. It would make the other kids run the other way that's for sure, that is… Except for her twin Maize.

If he knew his daughter well… He would know exactly where to find her.

It wasn't long before he heard the sound of pained whimpers and muffled cries. He followed the sounds till he had gotten to a fallen tree with moss and vines growing around it. He noticed that Frosty had been sitting outside of it, as he looked to be shaking and letting out a fearful whimper.

He couldn't help but wonder why that may be, that is… Until he noticed a set of bandages sitting outside with Frosty. When Qrow looked within the hollow tree trunk he was met with a surprise.

He saw Melody there on her knees, but she looked to be biting into her own arm, opening a set of wounds with the fangs she bore.

"Melody!" Qrow exclaimed, "What the hell are you doing!?"

Melody didn't seemed to have heard him as she continued to bite into her arm; now bleeding profoundly. Qrow quickly went in as he grabbed a hold of her shoulder and pulled her away a bit too roughly, though it was better then what she was doing.

"Stop it!" Qrow yelled as he did this, "Wren!"

Melody started to take deep breaths as she looked to her father with a horrified look in her eyes. "Wha-What are you doing here?" She said, "You can't be near me ! Not while I'm like this!"

"And what, do you think I'm just gonna leave you out here, without your weapon!?" Qrow told her, before noticing the scars and other closed wounds on herself, "Is this what you do to yourself, everytime _**THIS**_ happens?"

At that point Melody didn't answer; He felt her body shaking in his hands, as tears began to start to form.

"Wren please, answer me!" Qrow said to her, "I don't like seeing you this way, and I especially don't like seeing you hurting yourself! How long have you been doing this? How long have you been-?"

"**WHAT THE HELL DO YOU EXPECT ME TO DO!?**" Melody soon yelled. Tears started to roll down her cheeks as she let out choked sobs, "I-I feel it-! I can hear it-Trying to break free! I have to keep it under before it makes me-!"

Melody stopped herself as she couldn't bring herself to finish her sentence. It wasn't long before Qrow felt her try to push him out. "Dad! I'm begging you!" She told him, "You have to leave! You don't know that _**THING**_ like I do! It wants to hurt you, Ruby, Yang, Uncle Tai, Maize! That's all _**IT**_ wants! That's all _**IT**_ cares about!"

"Melody-"

"Please just leave me here! I don't want to _**KILL**_ you!"

Qrow took her hands and started to shush her gently. "It's okay. It's alright." He said, bringing her into a hug; her face was against his chest, "I'm not going anywhere. Not this time."

He brushed her hair in a comforting way as she continued to cry. For a long time, they stayed like this, Qrow held onto Melody in his arms as Melody herself leaned in against his embrace as her cries started to soften. "Ruby…" Qrow started to say, "... That was her first time seeing like that wasn't it?"

He saw her shift her head, as she had been nodding. "Did you tell her about it?" He asked.

"... And let her be scared of me… Like _**Celia**_?" Melody soon asked.

"But you saw it…" She said, pushing herself out his hug, "She had the same look Celia had when she left… She left us-Left _**YOU**_ because of what happened… I don't want any of them to run away because of something I can't control… _**I didn't ask for a shape-shifting semblance**_! I sure as hell didn't ask _**IT**_ to have _**ITS**_ own mind! I didn't ask for _**IT**_ to hurt them, to hurt anyone, that talked to me like they knew _**ALL**_ about me, that made fun of Yang, Ruby and Maize, that said those awful things about Aunt Summer when she didn't come back!"

Qrow seemed to understand what she was saying, even though she wasn't direct, "... You aren't just out here to find Raven, aren't you?"

Melody rubbed her eyes, trying to prevent herself from crying even more, "... Before I found Rosario and Scout… Before I was reunited with Ruby… I was doing fine. I was learning to control it, learning where it came from… But after seeing what I was about to do Jaune, after what he said to me… I know I can _**NEVER**_ be in control!" She laughed a little, "It's just like your semblance huh? It's always there whether I like it or not… I think… _**I'm better off alone after all.**_"

"Wren…" Qrow said, "... Look at me."

Melody turned away, refusing to look into her father's eyes. He moved her towards him, as he had cupped her cheeks, "Listen to me very carefully. I know you want so badly to let it know that your the boss and your the one in charge, but it's not going to help you if your out on your own like this. It's not going to help you by being away from people you love all the time."

"But I can't hurt anyone if I'm alone."

"That maybe so, but in the end, you'd only hurt yourself. Trust me… That's never the way to do things."

Qrow wiped away her tears as she looked to her dad with her cheeks all puffy from crying. She turned her body so that she was sitting in his life and rested her head on his shoulder. She started to sniffle as she was trying to calm herself.

"You don't need to have this kind of life." Qrow told her, "I can definitely say this doesn't suit you. If you keep doing this, you won't get anywhere at all."

"You're saying that I should go back…" She said, "... How could they help? How can you even help?"

"Because we're your family." Qrow told her, "Families never leave each other behind. They don't let others carry the weight by themselves, and they sure as hell don't sit back and let others suffer. That's something your mother didn't seem to get that when she ran out on us. I don't even think my sister understood that when she left Tai and your cousin."

Melody didn't say anything to Qrow. All she did was listen to what he had to say.

"You've got people you love back home." Qrow said, "But the longer your out here, the more you block them out. I know you have your reasons for not coming back or even doing so much as making home visits but messages and video chats aren't enough. I've been trying to tell you that… But you kept on ignoring my calls."

"There was a reason for it… Because not even you can help me."

"Now your just talking nonsense. Your friends will be able to fight you through this. Myself, Tai, Ruby, Yang and your sister will help you through this. You just have to let us. Whenever your ready to tell them, we'll be here for you."

Melody shut her eyes as she took deep breaths; she soon hooked her arms around his neck as she started to choke on her sobs again; Qrow returned the hug to her despite the pain he felt.

"I've missed you dad…" She said, "... I've missed you so much…"

"... I missed you too Little Bird." He said as he placed a kiss on her head. Frosty's fearful whimpers have longed since gone away as he was now sitting patiently for them; the sound of crickets had echoed throughout the night, as they sat within the hollow trunk of the tree.

* * *

Scout, Rosario and Jaune managed to find a river with clean water, so that Scout could wash off the blood on Roman's jacket and the rags she was using to treat his wound. Rosario had mostly filled her in about what Qrow told them, and why Melody wasn't with the group at that moment.

"Wow…" She said astonished as she cleaned, "... That is a lot to take in all at once. Did you really know about this?"

"Not all of it." Rosario replied, leaning against a tree nearby, "Cinder did leave out the Relics part when she told us about the Maidens. Still, this is bigger then anyone could have imagined."

"I can understand why they would keep this all a secret." Scout said, "If this got out, everyone would lose trust in each other, and start making accusations. It would lead to nothing but blood shed."

Rosario huffed, "Never thought I'd say this even after all they did, but I'm really starting to feel sorry for the White Fang. Wait till they find out they're just disposable pawns."

"If you want my honest opinion, the White Fang are no better then Bandits."

"... You're not wrong there."

She soon turned to Jaune who had been sitting on a rock as his hands in his hair. "How are you holding up blondie?" She asked him.

"I-" Jaune started to say, "-Can't believe I said all of those awful things to her."

"You were pretty pissed, I'll give it to you there." She said.

"... I didn't mean to say all of those things… I know I didn't mean it but… I was just so angry…"

"People tend to say a lot of things when they're angry. Trust me, I know."

"What if she doesn't forgive me for this? I saw the way she looked at me, I heard everything she said…. Who am I kidding? She'll never forgive me!"

"You'll never know unless you talk to her."

Jaune turned over to Rosario, as he was just giving her a certain look, "You're not exactly helping."

Rosario gave a little chuckle, "I know. Truth be told I never did give a good pep talk to anyone. My brother on the other hand, he's better at that kind of stuff… Or at least he used to be."

Jaune looked surprised by her words, "... You never said you had a brother."

"You didn't ask." She said.

Scout looked to the two of them as she finished cleaning up everything as she sensed the atmosphere. "I should-Head back to camp and check on Roman." She said as she gathered up everything. She soon made her way back towards the campsite leaving only Rosario and Jaune.

"Did you know he's my older twin?" Rosario said playing with the hair of her pigtail, "You've most likely met him already. I mean, he did go to Beacon technically. We don't look much alike sure, but there is one thing we do have in common. We both lost something that we can never get back, and for the record, I'm not just talking about limbs."

Jaune looked confused by this sort of statement. "I figured that wouldn't ring a bell." She said, "But come on! How many people did you know at Beacon that have the last name Black?"

Jaune still looked confused until he realized as to why the name sounded familiar. "Mercury Black?" He said, "He's your brother?"

"He is." Rosario replied, "Though as you can tell, even before the CCT was destroyed we haven't exactly been keeping tabs on each other. We… Grew apart."

"What… What happened?" Jaune asked.

Rosario took a deep breath before she explained herself, "Mercury and I didn't have a happy life like those lucky kids in Patch. We grew up in our own version of Hell. The Underworld of Remnant, ain't kind to anyone, especially kids. Our father Marcus Black, was an assassin for hire. He was good at what he did, which was more then I can say for at home. We didn't know what it was like to have a mom either. She died, while she was bringing us into the world. Every day, and every night our father would come home drunk, grab one of us by the hair and started to kick one of us till we started to bleed. We ended up getting our own fair amount. We did what we could to look out for each other. Hadn't it been for Mercury, I would've lost my sanity, and if it weren't for me he would've lost his smile. We promised each other, that one day we would escape from him and start our own life. A life better than the one we had been living."

Jaune's eyes widened at this, "Rosario… I… I'm sorry that happened to you…"

"Don't apologize for something you had no control over." She said before continuing, "It had gotten worse when he forced prosthetics on us and started to train us. He was trying to make one of us his next assassin and made it in effort to break our mentality, he even went as far as to steal away Mercury's semblance. He didn't bother with me since…" She looked to the palm of her hand as she said, "... Well… I'm like you. I'm at the age of seventeen, and I haven't unlocked my semblance. Pathetic, right?"

"Really?" He said surprised.

Rosario only nodded, "One day… When we both reached our peak in our lessons, he told us to fight one another. The winner would be his successor. Unfortunately… _**That meant one of us had to die.**_"

"He… Was forcing the both of you to fight…?"

She nodded again, "Of course, I told my father I wanted no part of it, and he snapped. When he did, Mercury ended up acting out and once I snapped out of it I backed him up. The might must've lasted for hours and we both took a pretty hard hit. We even ended up destroying what little we had of our home."

"What happened to him?"

Jaune saw Rosario look change, as her look hardened yet she replied calmly, "... _**We killed him. **_His life was the first life we took… We didn't regret doing it. But wouldn't you know it? We only traded that Hell for another."

Jaunes look soon hardened, "Cinder…"

"Yeah…" She said, "... She showed up that night. She told us that we would change the world for the better, and back then I was stupid enough to believe it. That was until-"

"-You fought Amber. The previous Fall Maiden."

"Amber was pretty strong despite her inexperience. After we fought and the dust settled, I saw what she did to her, how she stole her power. I could never forget the smile she had as she took her life force away. It was like it was a game to her. It was sadistic and grotesque. Once I saw her for who she really was, I knew it wasn't the life I was asking for. So… I left and I tried to get Mercury to come with me but her poisonous word had already infected him. In the end… I left him behind. Not a day goes by when I regret not trying harder."

Jaune took all of this new information in, from what Rosario told him. He heaved a sigh and looked at her, "Do you… Have a point in telling me this?"

"As a matter of fact, I do." She replied, "People have reasons to keep their deepest darkest secrets from people. I kept mine because I was scared that you would hate me. Melody had her own reason for keeping hers since she looked as scared as anyone else. And Qrow, Ozpin, all the headmasters have theirs. They keep it from others because they think it's the right thing to do. Sometimes, they're right. Sometimes it's better to give one white lie, then have a painful truth. Though that doesn't mean you had the right to judge people for their decisions on right and wrong. Anger can give us strength but it also tends to be our weakness. We push away the people we love and care about without knowing it. By the time we realize it, it would be too late to fix things. I think… That's what the Headmasters want to avoid too."

Jaune couldn't help but think about what she said. Now that he gave it some thought it did make sense. His rage, his anger he felt towards Qrow when they told them, he just felt like he couldn't trust him. He saw that's how people would feel from the start if they knew what the Kingdoms were really facing. Everyone would make accusations to the point where they would point fingers at the innocent people, instead of the enemy. Now he seemed to have gotten the idea as to why he didn't say anything from the start.

Scout was right, there would be nothing but bloodshed.

"Come on." She said holding her hand to him, "We should get back to the others. If Melody came back you can apologize to her, unless she gives you the silent treatment."

"Okay." Jaune said, taking her hand and he stood up. They turned and just when they were about to start walking back to the campsite, Rosario stopped in her tracks when she heard Jaune speak up.

"Hey…" He said, "... Thanks."

All Rosario did was smile and give him a wink before they took the path they walked down earlier.

* * *

Ruby carried a bunch of firewood and tossed them into the fire.

As she brushed her hands and went to turn in she heard a groan from the tent nearby. She went towards it and pushed the curtain up and saw Roman sitting up, rubbing his head; His hair was untied so it was hanging loosely.

"Roman!" Ruby exclaimed gleefully as she went to sit by his side, "You're awake! How do you feel?!"

"Like I've had one too many drinks at a party…" Roman said as he cracked his neck, cringing slightly when he felt his wound act up.

"You scared us all half to death!" Ruby said, "We were so worried! Cristal especially! We didn't know if you were going to make it after that girl got you!"

"That explains the shoulder…" He said, "... Did I miss anything?"

"Well… That's a story you probably already know." She replied, "But don't worry, first thing in the morning we'll catch you up!"

She soon threw her arms around him, "I'm so happy you're okay!"

"Ow-!" Roman groaned causing her to jump back. Ruby started to apologize as she bowed her head, causing Roman to chuckle a little bit.

"What happened after I passed out?" Roman soon asked, "Is my daughter okay?"

"Cristal is fine, but…" Ruby started to say hesitantly, "... That guy Tyrian, he got a hit on Uncle Qrow."

Roman's eyes widened slightly, "Is he alright?"

"Yeah… I think so." She replied.

Roman soon let out a sigh as he ran his hand through his hair, "What a day… Is there a plus side to any of this?"

"Well-" Ruby started to say, "-I shot off Tyrian's tail. That's sort of a plus."

Roman couldn't help but chuckle again, "I guess it's like that saying, payback is a bitch."

Both him and her shared a laugh at that remark, figuring that they had lightened the mood somehow. Soon the laughter ceased as Roman let out another groan, "It hurts to laugh."

Ruby looked to his wound and her expression softened at the thought of the former thief before her. She gulped as she looked to the ground as she felt tears come to her eyes. "... I'm sorry…" She said with her voice cracking.

"Sorry?" He said before he noticed she was upset, "Hey, what's the matter?"

"I'm sorry this happened to you…" She told him, "If I hadn't rushed in like that and listened to Cristal's warning, then you wouldn't have-" She started to choke on her words, "-I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!"

Roman saw Ruby bury her face in her hands as she rubbed her eyes in an effort to get rid of the tears. Roman reached out and gave her a pat on the head; she froze at this sort of gesture.

"It's okay Red." He reassured her, "This isn't your fault."

"But you were hurt, because I didn't listen to Cristal!" She said, "It was because of me, you would've died!"

"Don't do that." Roman told her, "The last thing we need is for you to start blaming yourself. You couldn't have known about that girl, and that she would make her move at the last second."

Ruby finally managed to get the tears away as she sniffled a little. "Red. None of this isn't your fault." He told her, "If we were still enemies I would have blamed you for this, but not this time. It just relieves me to know that the people I care about are safe."

Ruby couldn't help but look shocked before she smiled, "Aw, I knew you cared!"

"Don't push it." He said.

Ruby couldn't help but giggle but soon took notice of his scars along his chest and arm; some of them looked similar to Tyrian's though she saw each one had a different story to tell. Most of the scars he had gotten in battle from what she could tell, and others were most likely ones from when he used to steal for a living. She couldn't help but wonder about something.

"Do they still hurt?" Ruby asked.

Roman looked confused, "Do what hurt?"

"Your scars." She clarified, "Do they still hurt?"

Roman looked over his scars before he let out a sigh, "Sometimes they do."

"How did you get some of them?" She asked.

Roman tried to sit back but ended up groaning from his wound; Ruby went to his side to support him. "Most of these are a reminder really." Roman replied, "Of what I went through when I was a kid."

He saw the look she gave as she showed sympathy towards him. "I just can't believe it." Ruby said, "After all this time… The encounters we had before when we were enemies… I didn't realize you had gone through so much in your life. You lost your wife, Destiny and Cristal's kidnapping, and what happened to you when you were a kid."

"There's no way of knowing who people are Red." He told her, "You can't just take one look and expect to know their life story at the drop of a hat."

"But maybe if I had known in the first place, I would've-"

"Helped me? I don't doubt you for a second. Unfortunately the past stays where it is. We can't change what we've been through or what we've done. It's just how life works. We have to take a leap, and hope for the best."

"Even going as far to keep things from people?"

Roman didn't respond to her question this time. Instead, he gave his response as he rubbed his elbow, "Listen Red… I know we've gotten used to each other since the Fall of Beacon, but they're just some things I'm not exactly keen on sharing. But that's changed today… I feel like you deserve to know the truth."

"... Okay." Ruby said.

Roman soon took a deep breath and-

"Dad!"

Both of them jumped when Cristal entered the tent; she had a relieved look on her face as she couldn't help but threw her arms around him. "Thank God, you're alright!" She cheered, before she hit him in the arm causing him to groan, "Don't go doing that again! You scared me half to death!"

"Hey!" Roman said to her, "Shouldn't I be saying that to you young lady?!"

"Don't go pulling the parent card on me now dad!" She said.

Ruby smiled at this, before she went to make her leave, "I'll leave you guys alone. I was going to go hit the hay anyway." She went to exit the tent before she was stopped.

"Hey Red?" Roman said, "Thanks for checking up on me."

Ruby gave a smile before she went outside of the tent as she soon set up her sleeping spot close to the fire.

* * *

-_**Outside of Mistral; Pine Farmland**_-

Oscar and Destiny sat in their room, as he was helping her to read as he usually did every night. Though as usually she was having difficulty in doing so. She kept tilting her head back and forth as she was trying to decrypt some of the bigger words that were in the book.

"I know dad and big sis taught me how to read, when I was like five but…" Destiny said, "... Most of these words seem like a different language to me."

"I know it seems that way, but it'll be easier when you get the hang of it all." Oscar said, "Trust me."

They soon heard Oscar's Aunt call out to them from downstairs.

"Oscar! Destiny!" She said, "Supper's ready!"

"Coming!" Destiny said.

"What are we having?" Oscar said with a smile.

"Doesn't matter, you're eating it!"

"I never agreed to these terms!"

"It's part of the living under my roof contract! Read the fine print and come wash up!"

Destiny couldn't help but giggle, "I wonder what we're having tonight. I could go for an imitation burger!"

"We'll see." Oscar said, patting her on the head.

Destiny let out another soft laugh before she hopped off the bed; Despite the limp she had in her prosthesis, she was able to make her way out of the room and down the ladder. Oscar was about to follow until-

"_We have to leave._"

The voice, calling itself Ozpin had come to him again; he soon went towards the door again.

"_Oscar._" Ozpin said, trying to get his attention, "_Oscar!_"

Oscar let out a sigh, "I've decided that you're not real, so you might as well just give up."

"_I understand your feelings_." He said, "_I've gone through the same panic and confusion you have._"

Oscar shook his head, before he noticed the books had been out of place and Destiny's bed had been in a bit of a mess; he went to set them back in place before he fixed up her covers. "It's not real…" He said to himself, "... It's not real."

"_I can assure you, you're completely sane._" Ozpin said.

"First a girl appears out of thin air...And I'm talking to a voice in my head."

"_I didn't say you were normal, I just said you were sane._"

Oscar let out a huff, before he went towards the door again. "_I can assure you, there's a distinct difference between the-_"

"**SHUT UP!**" Oscar snapped, "Do you think this is funny?! Because it's not."

"_We are in complete agreement on that matter I promise you._" Ozpin said, "_Believe me, I wish this wasn't the case. But it's as I told you before… Our Aura… Our Souls have combined._"

"... I'm done listening to you." He said.

Ozpin was silent for a moment, and Oscar took that as his cue to leave.

"_Tell me-_" Ozpin said, "_-Have you ever been to Haven?_"

"I already told you, I'm not going." He said, "And I already told you, I'm done listening to you!"

"_Do you think you can describe the Headmasters Office for me?_"

"No. Why would I-"

"_Just try. Right now._"

Oscar couldn't help but huff as he didn't see the point in doing such a thing.

"I don't know it's-"

But when he shut his eyes, the image of the office couldn't be more clear.

"-It's… Autumn colored. With a mahogany desk. There's a small table with chairs in the corner. With a tea set… _**That I gave him**_…"

At this, he started to panic internally as he felt his head sting a bit. "Why do I know that? Why did I say that? How did I know that?!"

"_Because I helped build that school._" Ozpin replied, "_And the tea seat was a gift to the man running it now._"

Oscar sat at his bedside, as he was trying to process everything. "_If you don't believe me, you can look it up._" Ozpin suggested, "_If I recall your Aunt has several books on Mistral downstairs. I'm certain you can find a picture in one of them._"

"...That's…" He said in realization, "... That's right… I must've seen it in a book."

"_Oscar-_" Ozpin started to say.

"**SHUT UP!**" He shouted, "Stop talking to me!"

"_I have a grave responsibility to uphold._" He said, "_For Cristal and Destiny's life, and everyone else's._"

"Do you know those two!? Wait, I never agreed to anything!"

"_I knew her sister when she was a child, and I was acquainted with her mother. And I know you didn't agree to anything. Neither did I at first. But you have an opportunity._"

"An opportunity for what?"

"_Greatness hopefully. Greatness knowing that when the world needed help, you were there to reach out your hand. It won't come without hardship without sacrifice. I know that you don't want to live the rest of your life working as a farmhand in Mistral. And… I know you want to help that little girl. You feel like you owe it to their mother after you saw the sacrifice Trinity took in order to protect them._"

Oscars eyes widened at this as he realized what it was Ozpin did, "Did you just decide to read my thoughts!?"

"_No._" Ozpin replied, "_... Well… __**They're our thoughts now.**_"

Oscar let out a groan, before he screamed, "**GET OUT OF MY HEAD!**"

The door soon opened as Destiny peaked in, "Oscar?" She said as she stepped in, snapping him back into reality, "Is everything okay?"

"Destiny!" He said.

She soon took his hand, helping him to stand up. "Come on! Let's hurry to dinner before it gets cold!" She said with a smile.

Thus, she lead Oscar out of the room, and they both proceeded towards the dining area.

* * *

Morning came throughout the surrounding area, and the rays of the sun had gone through the leaves that had been above their heads, while the morning dew was seen on the grass. The whole group slept soundly in their sleeping bags and their only wounded slept in their tent. Qrow slept against a tree with his daughter Melody, her head resting on his shoulder; a blanket had been seen around the both of them to keep them warm and Frosty slept at her side as the fire had long gone out.

The whole group started to wake up with a groan; they sat up and stretched all the while they let out a yawn.

"Well look at that…" Rosario said as she fixed up her bed head, "... Morning already." She tied up her hair into her pigtails.

Ren sat up and got himself out of his sleeping bag, "We should probably get moving."

"Yeah." Jaune said sitting up before he removed himself from the sleeping bag, "Alright everyone, let's gather up our things."

Just then they were drawn to the sound of someone coughing. It had been coming from Qrow, as Melody had immediately awoken. "Papa!" Melody exclaimed as she shook him a little, "Papa! Wake up!" She soon noticed a purple liquid come out of his mouth causing her to jump back.

"**SCOUT!**" She yelled, "**SCOUT COME QUICK!**"

Scout quickly ran over to her side, as she looked him over before letting out a horrific gasp. "What is it!?" Ruby said, as she ran over to Qrow, "What's going-"

Ruby cut herself off when she saw what they saw. There along his abdomen where he had been patched up, purple liquid had bleed through.

"Well…" Qrow said, noticing it too, "... That's unfortunate…"

And just like that, his whole vision went dark; the last thing he heard was his niece and daughter calling out to him.

(_**Ending Theme: The Promised Neverland Ending 1-Zettai Zetsumei Performed By Co shu Nie**_)


End file.
